Shadow of the Day
by Altocat
Summary: Charles Hyde never expected to become a henchman of one of the most dangerous criminals in Gotham. As he is forced to follow the Joker's orders, anarchy and chaos ensues. Fourth part of the Until We Bleed series. REVIEWS GREATLY APPRECIATED!
1. Hyde

Charles Hyde never wanted to be drafted into a war of madness.

He was young, healthy, and slowly beginning to rise up in the world as a successful medical doctor. He had learned all he could from school and was now serving at Gotham General Hospital.

Charlie was never the sort of person who enjoyed chaos or pandemonium. He liked to read and paint in his past-times and he rarely ever quarreled with anyone. Suffice to say, he was just an ordinary guy.

Well…until he met _them_.

They were legends. They were the figures that shaped the dark nightmarish stories that swept through Gotham City after-dark. They had plunged themselves into Gotham's underworld—earning the respect and fear from every criminal and maniac in the city.

And little did poor Charlie know that _he_ was to become one of them.

XxX

"Nice work today, Charles," Adam said, giving Charlie a friendly pat on the back. "You're awfully good at what you do. I haven't seen a fellow that was as skilled as patching people up as you are."

Charlie grinned and blushed. "Aw, stop flattering me. I just love what I do."

"Keep it up and you might be promoted to head doctor. Maybe. It depends."

Charlie laughed and went over towards the coffee machine, brewing some of the hot liquid for himself. "Nah, I don't want to have that kind of responsibility just yet. Husbands have that kind of job. I'm not married yet. I don't want to have to be a big-shot bread-winner right now."

Adam shrugged his shoulders. "You're probably one of the few people here with that philosophy right now, man. I envy you. Millie's looking to me to help support me and Jr."

Charlie took a sip of coffee, shriveling a bit at the bitter taste. "Shouldn't she have a job of her own? I mean, just to help out?"

"My Millie was never the sort of working-girl. She likes being a house-mom. Oh well. At least Jr. gets to see her. The way things are going here, I don't get home 'til ten. It's a damn shame, Charles."

Charlie nodded empathetically. "I hear you." Finishing his coffee and adjusting his briefcase, he said goodbye to Adam and got ready to leave for the night.

_Poor old Adam. He really deserves a promotion. _

Shaking his head in sympathy, Charlie made his way out of the building, admiring it from the outside. What a recovery it all had been! Ever since _he_ had blown it up, Gotham officials had seen to it that Gotham General was rebuilt and remodeled. Now it stood upright and complete in all it's glory, filling his heart with a wave of pride.

_It's like a symbol,_ he thought with a smile. _It means that we can still triumph no matter what those weirdoes do to us._

Walking towards the street, he hailed a cab and cheerfully got in.

"We're to?" the cab-driver asked in a gruff tone.

"Walsh Street," Charlie replied. "I'm going home."

"Finally calling it a day, huh?"

"Yeah. Looks like it," Charlie leaned back against the seat, watching Gotham General grow smaller and smaller as the cab began to pull away.

"You shouldn't be staying out so late y'know," the driver said warily. "I heard talk that those clown-freaks were at it again. You can never be too careful. Especially around here. Gotham is one dangerous mother-fucking town."

"Yeah, well I'm not complaining. My job is here and that's enough for me." He closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the ride. Soon, they had arrived at his apartment. Dutifully, Charlie paid the driver and stepped out of the cab, breathing in the cool night air.

Fumbling for his keys, Charlie flinched at the sounds of rummaging coming from the alley-way.

"Must be a cat or something…"

Opening the door and going up the stairs, Charlie entered his bedroom and collapsed on the bed, sighing in contentment. His apartment wasn't really all that much at the moment, but it was comfortable enough to live in.

He decided to flip on the television and silently watched GCN for a bit, laughing at the stupid rumors that were spreading around. Apparently, everyone thought that there really was some sort of human-crocodile running around. Stupid, foolish stuff. The people of Gotham City really did not know when to quit over-exaggerating.

That said, he did not deny the notion that there really _were_ some freaks in the city. That Scarecrow fellow was someone he did not want to run into. And then…_them_. They both intrigued and repulsed him. They were on a different level of crazy all together. They were like demons—shadows in the night…boogeymen.

Flipping of the television, Charlie lazed in bed for a bit before being startled by the sounds of trash-can lids banging together in the alley-way. For a cat, it was making quite a lot of noise. That wouldn't do. He had to go shoo it away.

Getting up and grumbling under his breath, Charlie made his way down the stairs and stepped out the door.

Going towards the alley-way, he lifted his flashlight and pointed it in the direction of the loud noises, expecting to see some sort of animal scavenging around.

But what he found made his blood turn cold.

A woman was rummaging through the trash, snarling low in her throat. Beside her stood a large older man with a beard and a thin scar across his cheek. The woman was dressed in an elegant crimson coat with diamond symbols and jet-black pants. Her hair was tied up in a set of girlish pig-tails that seemed to bob up and down with her movements.

"It's around here somewhere, Cutter…"

"Harley, I don't think this is the right place."

"Of _course_ it is! Poke said he dumped the disk around here. Idiot. He should've read the files on it more closely."

"He didn't know it had your Arkham Asylum files on it. Could you really blame him?"

The woman lifted her head tilted it at the sound of new noise. "Hang on, Cutter. I don't think…we're alone."

They both craned their heads and faced Charlie, making his knees shake. It was _them_.

The woman's baby-blue eyes flashed with malicious glee.

"Well well…what do we have here?"

XxX

_**A/N-Hey, everyone!**_

_**So this story will introduce a new Joker-henchman. Meet Charlie (Grins proudly)**_

_**Anyway, updates on this fic might be a bit erratic. With college classes to maintain, I'll try to update when I can. I hope you all will be patient with me. **_

_**Until the next chapter!**_

_**-CAT**_


	2. A Dark Offer

Charlie's eyes widened as the two people—the older man and the red-cloaked, war-painted woman—came closer. They looked like figures from some sort of horror story or fairytale. The older man had calm gray eyes that were serious and without humor. The small, thin scar that ran across his left cheek wasn't as frightening or profound as the scars of the man he worked for, but it gave him a fearsome sort of presence. His dark beard hung from his face, making him look like a sort of shaggy dog. His arms were powerfully built and Charlie knew that they must have possessed some sort of great strength to them.

But the woman was ten thousand times more frightening-looking. From the look and shape of her face she looked very young—around his age or a few years younger. Her baby-blue eyes, had they not been glowing so demonically bright, had a very childish look about them…almost innocent. But the smile that played on her black lips told a different tale altogether. Though they did not possess any scars, they were stretched out into a clownish, mischievous grin that scared the living daylights out of him. Her hair was a light-blonde sort of color—similar to his own dirty-blonde hair—but strikingly different. It hung in those girlish pigtails of hers, carefully tied back with a red and black ribbon and a set of twin bells that jingled faintly. Her face was streaked with war-paint similar to that of her boss's, adding a sense of terrifying wonder to her black-rimmed eye-markings.

This was _her_. Charlie knew all about her. He'd seen her on the news. This was the woman that was once called Dr. Harleen Quinzel. But she now went under a different name—a name that struck fear through his veins. Harley Quinn: lover of the Joker, clinically insane, and the worst possible person he had the unluckiness of running into.

"What do we have here?" the woman repeated, her eyes glowing with malicious delight. "Looks like someone's found us, Cutter."

The man called Cutter circled Charlie, staring grimly into his face. "Looks like it," he said quietly.

"P-please," Charlie stammered, shaking like a petrified rabbit. "P-please don't h-hurt me…"

The woman laughed and began to circle him as well, nudging Cutter as if this was some sort of hilarious prank. "'Don't hurt him' he says, Cutter. Ain't that cute?" Her white harlequin face loomed into his, staring into his eyes like some all-knowing goddess. "Awfully nosy, aren't we? Perhaps you'd like to tell us why you took the time to spy in on us…"

Charlie let out a frightened whimper as the woman pulled out a knife from one of her belt and held it to his throat. His lips quivered and he did everything he could to not lose control of his bowels.

_Please, God. Please don't let her kill me. I don't want to die…_

The woman smiled at his panic and laughed again. Then she lowered her knife slightly. "You look like a mouse caught by a snake," she said with a giggle. "What's your name, hm?"

"P-please…"

Her eyes sparkled. "What's your name?" she asked again softly.

"Ch-Ch-Charles," he croaked out. "Ch-Charles Hyde."

"Harley," Cutter said, looking at the medical uniform that Charlie was still wearing. "He's got some medical outfit on."

Without completely lowering her knife, she eyed Charlie's uniform with great interest, inhaling sharply with delight.

"You're in the medical profession?" she asked, grinning—if it was possible—even wider.

"Y-yes. I w-w-work at Gotham G-General Hospital."

"Are you a doctor?"

He gulped. "In a w-way. I treat patients i-if that's what you mean."

She frowned slightly. "What do you mean by 'treat'?"

He cleared his throat, trying to muster a bit of courage from within him. "I'm a medic of some sort. I treat wounded people."

"You mean like cuts, bruises, and broken bones? That kind of stuff?"

"Y-yes," his heart was thudding loudly in his chest. "But I also help with sick patients too."

"So then you know how to look after the injured?" Cutter asked. There was great interest in his voice.

Charlie swallowed and nodded. Looking back, he would realize that it was the nodding that saved his life.

To his relief and joy, the woman lowered the knife away from his face and he exhaled roughly, at ease to see that he just might make it out of this mess alive.

The woman named Harley Quinn smiled happily at her companion and did a sort of giddy dance. "At last, Cutter! We finally got our hands on one!"

"So it would seem," Cutter replied, smiling slightly as well.

"Um…what do you mean?" Charlie asked, flinching as their gazes met him again.

The woman wrapped an arm around his shoulder, digging her nails into the flesh of his arm and making him squirm slightly. "We've been needing a doc for our little group for quite some time. It was very good luck that we managed to run into you."

"W-what do you mean?" His face felt very hot as her face got closer to his. A cool sweat began to drip down his pale forehead, but the woman took no notice of it.

"We want you to join our crew," she whispered in his ear. "Mr. J would just _love_ someone good at patchin' people up on our team."

"I'm sorry, I don't—"

"Our group gets injured all the time," Cutter interrupted. "We could use a handy fellow like you to keep us healed and revived."

Charlie's jaw dropped. Was this really happening? Were they actually telling him to join them in their battle to plunge Gotham City into chaos? This had to be a dream. No, it had to be some sort of _nightmare_. He'd wake up in his bed in a few minutes.

But the shaking of his knees told him that this was no nightmare. This was real.

Though he hated himself for it, he struggled to let out a sentence of protest. "But…but I…"

The woman's fingernails dug farther into his skin, making him let out a small groan of pain. "You don't really have much of a choice," she said in an almost sickeningly-sweet voice. "We need you. Nobody refuses to join us. Mr. J wouldn't like that."

Charlie could feel Cutter towering over him, staring at him with those sober gray eyes of his. The woman's red cloak swirled in the wind, giving him a glance at the diamond pattern that was stitched on the fabric.

"Perhaps he does not want to join, Harley," Cutter said quietly. "The poor fellow looks terribly bewildered. He's shaking in his shoes."

The woman looked down at Charlie's shaking knees and giggled. "Poor little guy! Why are you scared, huh? To be a part of Mr. J's crew is an honor," Her eyes began to glow with crazed fanaticism. "To be with Mr. J is to be free...a rebel against the joke that is this city. One day he will rule all of it."

_He's a maniac!_ Charlie thought with cold dread. _He kills people because it amuses him. He twists people's minds and kills them when they aren't of use to him! He'll kill me too!_

His hands trembled and he bit his lip, trying not to let out another cry of protest. He wondered if this woman had once seen things that way—hadn't she once been a psychiatrist? She was living proof of what the Joker could do with your mind. Charlie could see the madness that the clown had filled her with shining brightly in her eyes.

_And, apparently, she loves him! How could anything get more sickening than that? Is this what's to become of me if I join them? Will I too be reduced into some insane puppet for him to control?_

The woman shook her head and came out of her trance, smiling at Charlie again.

"Well? What's it going to be, huh? Are you in or out?"

Her face was eager and, for a split second, almost perfectly innocent…like a child waiting for Christmas presents. Cutter was silent, but Charlie could read the silent plea in his eyes.

_Say yes,_ the look said. _Don't be a fool. Say yes._

Charles Hyde was many things but he was not a fool. The answer was uttered from his lips before he even had the chance to give a second thought about it.

"Alright. I…I'm in."

The woman grinned broadly and grabbed his wrist. "That's the spirit! Let's go back then. The boys will all be glad to see you."

She and Cutter began to lead him down the alleyways, shoving him in the darkness. His apartment was farther and farther away and he knew that there wasn't a chance he'd be going back to it.

At the edge of the alley-way, Charlie saw a large black van waiting for them. They herded him towards the back and opened the doors of the backseat.

He blinked when he saw that the woman was beginning to place a large sack over his head. Equally as disturbing was that Cutter was beginning to tie his wrists together.

"What are you—"

"Can't be too careful," she told him primly. "After all, ya haven't been officially declared one of us yet."

With the hot darkness pulled over him and his wrists movement-less, Charlie felt himself being pushed into the backseat. The door shut beside him and he heard the footsteps of the two people climbing into the front seat. With a low and steady purr of the engine, the car began to move, shattering the last little bit of Charlie's hope that this was not real.

He could hear them whispering to each other in the front seat—her voice bubbly and full of excitement and his voice low and serious.

_And what now?_ He wondered in despair. _What's going to happen to me now?_

He would soon find out.

XxX

_**A/N- Hey, everyone.**_

_**So I'm starting to adjust to college but it still might take some time for each chapter to be posted. I sincerely hope that you all will stay patient with me and that you'll continue to read. I assure you that good things are going to happen soon.**_

_**For now, I'll leave you with this chapter. Hopefully, the next one will come out sooner. **_

_**Stay tuned! More to come! :)**_

_**-CAT**_


	3. The New Guy

_Where the hell are we going?_

Charlie inhaled and exhaled as steadily as he could under the darkness of the sack over his head. He could feel the road, long and bumpy, being gobbled by the wheels of their vehicle. His bound wrists were sore and his nose itched. He had spent almost an hour and a half in the van, trying to quell the cold feeling of dread that was building in his heart.

He wondered what they would do with him once they arrived. The woman—Harley Quinn—had said that he had not yet been officially declared part of their group. Did that mean that he'd have to do something drastic for them to accept him? Was this like the dare he had to do once when he had wanted to get into his college fraternity? Questions bombarded his mind and he bit his lip, trying to keep his breathing as calm as possible.

_Do you even realize what you're about to go through? You're going to be recruited as an ally for the __**Joker**__. The fucking-terrifying-murderous-kill-everything-in-sight Joker. This is the perfect time to panic!_

But what could he do? They had locked the doors to the van and he was bound. And even if the doors weren't locked and even if he wasn't bound, it would be stupid to try to escape out of a moving vehicle.

So poor Charlie swallowed his fear and waited, listening to his heart pounding like thunder in his chest when the van finally came to a halt.

They were there.

The door opened and he felt a hand (Cutter's maybe?) grab gently onto his arm and pull him out. His knees buckled slightly and he almost tripped, ceasing to only when Cutter caught him and held him up, leading him forward.

"Easy there, fella," the older man said in a soothing tone. "You'll be okay. We're not removing the binds or the sack though until we get you inside."

"But where—"

"Hush," Cutter replied. "You'll find out in your own time…when we can fully trust you. Now come on…"

Charlie felt another heartbeat beside him and he realized that it was the woman, marching excitedly beside him. Her breathing was enthusiastic—as if she were greatly anticipating the presence of someone inside.

_Him_, Charlie thought dreadfully.

They led him down what smelled like another alleyway, letting him feel a patch of silver moonlight on his skin before shepherding him forward some more.

At last, they halted and Charlie heard the sound of rhythmic knocking on a thick metal door.

"Open up," Cutter commanded gruffly. "It's us."

"What's the password?" a thin, impish voice asked playfully through an opening.

"Open it up already, Poke," Cutter replied. "Don't be an asshole."

A small stream of giggled were heard and the door opened. The woman's hand gave him a rough push as he felt himself entering a new building. The door shut loudly behind them and Charlie's heart did a small somersault.

"What's this you've got here?" the impish voice asked. "Another little hostage?"

"Nope!" the woman's voice sang happily. "A new recruit! We picked him up and brought him back with us."

"Ooh. Let's have a look at him!" Two new voices emerged, speaking at the exact same time. Charlie could feel the binds being loosened from his wrists. The sack covering his face was removed and he squinted in the harsh gloom. They were in some sort of large warehouse…the type of warehouse that he knew was vacant and away from sane company.

Blinking, he swallowed as he saw that they were all staring at him. The manic voice at the door belonged to a thin man with fidgety fingers, wild dark hair and eyes that seemed to twitch a mile a minute. Next to him were two burly, broad-shouldered men with strong, sturdy builds. One had jet-black hair while the other's was a light-brown. They inspected him closely, surveying him as if he were nothing but some strange new artifact or exhibit.

"He looks like a wimp," one of the burly men said with a laugh. "Look, Henshaw, his knees are shaking!"

The man called Henshaw gave Charlie a poke and laughed as well. "Where'd you find this pipsqueak, Harley? He looks about as tough as a marshmallow."

Harley placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Observe his outfit," she said. "Do you not see the significance of it? This guy is what we've been looking for. We've got ourselves a medic in our group. This guy'll be the answer to every bullet-wound and broken bone we deal with." She smiled proudly.

The man called Poke leaned forward and inspected Charlie's medical uniform. "Well I'll be. A real doc just for us. Are you going to tell the boss?" His eyes were very shiny—something that made Charlie even more uneasy than he already was.

"Of course I am," Harley said, blushing at the mere mentioning of the clown. Then her gaze hardened and she frowned at Poke. "And don't think I haven't forgotten about your little screw-up. Dumping those files…what the hell were you thinking?" She fixed the scrawny man with an icy stare, causing him to back away slightly.

"Sorry, Harley…it won't happen again."

Her war-painted face was like that of a goddess…a dangerous goddess. "It better not. Otherwise I'll get Mr. J to make sure that it doesn't happen again."

"SPEAKING of the boss," Cutter said. "Don't you think that it's time to let the new guy meet him?"

Harley's face lit up and she grinned widely. "Oh yeah! I had almost forgotten!"

Cutter sighed. "Your attention-span is always wandering, Harley. You have to focus on the task at hand."

The blonde went over and gave the older man a playful swat. "Yeah yeah. I'll go tell him then. He still upstairs?"

Cutter nodded. "Go and tell him about this fellow. See if he's interested."

_And what if he's not?_ Charlie thought with agitation.

Giddily, the woman began to run towards the long staircase of the warehouse. She looked like a schoolgirl that was anxious to attend a class with her favorite teacher. Soon, she was out of sight.

Charlie felt himself being surrounded by the four henchmen, half-expecting to be killed right then and there on the spot.

_God, what are they going to do to me? Is there any way I'll be able to escape?_

He knew there wasn't. Not when he was so far from home and they surrounded him like this.

"So what do they call you?" the man with the light-brown hair asked. "Me and my cousin, Rocco here have been dying for a medic. We've been getting bruised and wounded for ages. Had to patch ourselves up…"

"I—I'm Charles Hyde," Charlie squeaked, still trembling.

Poke slunk next to him and giggled. "Still frightened, are we? We're nothing. You should see the boss…"

"Don't be such a creep," Cutter said. "This fellow is probably going to be our newest comrade. It is important that we don't spook him."

"The boss hasn't said anything yet," Poke replied with a sly grin. "That makes him our hostage."

"Aw, leave him alone, Poke," the man called Rocco said. "He's a newbie. The boss will certainly accept him."

"Yeah," Henshaw agreed. "Remember when we had Harley for the first time? We didn't be mean to her."

"That's 'cause the boss had done enough messing with her. He'd done enough sadism on her to match all of us put together." Poke snorted and grinned cheekily at Charlie. "You like fire, fella?"

"Not particularly," Charlie replied nervously.

Poke's grin grew wider. "A shame. You'll be seeing a lot of fire if you're with us. Fire is my middle name."

Charlie backed away slightly, moving closer to Cutter.

"Don't worry," Rocco said good-naturedly. "You'll do alright as long as you don't get yourself killed. Just stay on the boss's good side."

"And stay on Harley's too," Henshaw added. "She's unpredictable. One minute she's nice and friendly and the next moment she's lashing out at you."

Charlie said nothing. He just stared at the ground and contemplated how far he had to have been from the police. Heck, he even wished the Bat was here to help him.

Poke wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulder, smirking as he flinched at the touch. "Methinks that you and I are gonna be _good_ friends. We'll be a regular group of buddies. And we'll really rock this city together, won't we? Ever kill anyone?"

"N-no," Charlie murmured.

"Well there's a first time for everything. Perhaps the boss, if he likes you that is, will let you off somebody on the first outing. We do lots of outings, you see. Steal some cash, wipe out a gang, take…hostages. Good stuff, my man." His tone was eerie, almost threatening. The urge not to lose control of his bowels returned to Charlie.

Suddenly, in a flash of crimson, Harley Quinn leapt down the stairs. Her face was excited, glowing with intense urgency. "Mr. J wants to see you," she said brightly. "You're gonna meet the boss."

"N-now?" Charlie had expected to have been bound and gagged for quite some time before he'd meet the Joker. But, then again, when had the Joker ever done something that wasn't spontaneous.

"Now," Harley said with a wide grin. "Come on. Follow me."

Unable to protest, Charlie stepped forward, trying not to listen to the sounds of Poke's eerie laughter in the background. He began to climb the stairs, feeling a fresh wave of sweat break over him.

_I'm going to meet the Joker. Oh God, I'm going to meet a cold-blooded killer! If I try to run, this woman will probably kill me. Oh God oh God oh God…_

The woman walked slightly ahead of him, moving drunkenly like a simpering kitten. It was an uneasy sight.

_I'm seeing the Joker and she's acting like a little child…does she not realize who he is?_

His forehead felt hot. He felt as if he were walking to an execution room. Still, he was forced to follow her.

They came to a room with a closed door. It was separated from all the other rooms in the warehouse.

_We're here_. Charlie thought gloomily.

The woman knocked on the door, beaming and blushing despite the white war-paint. "Puddin'…I brought him to you…"

Charlie felt his blood turn cold as a low voice responded through the door.

"Open the door and leave us, my pet. We have a lot to discuss."

The blonde nodded and began to push Charlie forward, shoving him roughly. "Go on. Don't keep him waiting."

With a trembling hand and a sinking heart, Charlie turned the knob and opened the door.


	4. Charlie and The Boogeyman

Charlie knew that he was in the lair of the beast itself the moment he shut the door. The room was dark save for a single light that hung from the ceiling. There was a large bed with bloodstained sheets and shredded blankets—was it the one the clown shared with the woman? Charlie's mind was a mess of confusion and fear as he stepped forward.

The moment that the clown turned around was when Charlie had wanted to die. The clown's face was streaked white from the war-paint with dark blackish-gray markings around the eyes that seemed to be smearing down his cheeks. His hair was a wild mess of brownish-green that hung limply in greasy curls. His dark-brown eyes seemed to stare into your soul—like some sort of all-knowing creature from hell.

And the scars…the scars were the worst. Painted as red as blood, they stretched in a long jagged line. The clown would pause every two minutes or so to lick them.

"Hello there," the scarred man said, grinning and revealing a row of sharp yellow teeth. "So you're the fellow that Harley brought in, hm?"

"Y-y-y—"

"Oh shush-shush. Of course you are. You're a medic of some sorts. Good thing too. Otherwise I bet that little Harley would have sent old Poke on you." He licked his lips. "So, you want to join our little…ah, team, huh?"

_No I don't. I don't want to side with a fucking maniac. I want to go home…_

Charlie's head nodded yes weakly.

The Joker strode forward and pulled out a dusty ragged chair from the side of the room. "Go on. Sit down. Can't have you standing, can we?"

Timidly, Charlie accepted the seat and sat down on the chair, watching cautiously as the clown strolled around the room.

"Harley tells me that you're good at healing people."

"Yes sir," Charlie said quietly. "I worked at Gotham General Hospital."

The Joker chuckled. "Nice place. I went there once. Let's just say that everything ended in a bang." He went to the window and looked outside at the city in the distance. "You like Gotham?"

"I s-suppose," Charlie replied. "I mean, I've been here a while…"

"I'll bet that you know my good old pal, Batsy."

Charlie's eyes widened. "No! I don't! I've only seen him on the television."

The clown laughed. "Keep your shirt on, kid. Just messing with you. Now then…Harley says that you'd be a nice little addition to our little group. Is she telling the truth?" The dark-brown eyes met Charlie's dark-green and Charlie felt himself shrinking back.

"I—I hope so, sir…" It was the best answer he could come up with.

The clown giggled under his breath and went over to the bed. Leaning down, he scooped up what looked like an old stuffed rabbit. He played with it in his hands, moving the long fuzzy ears up and down. "Very impulsive, that Harley-girl. She insists that you're the best man we've got for a medic. She barley knows you and yet she's already so willing to have you on board. She's always been a people-person. When she's not running around with that green-bitch friend of hers she's here hanging around the henches." Another lick of the lips.

"I…I'll try to do my best, sir," Charlie squeaked out quietly.

The clown grinned and tossed the stuffed rabbit onto the bed. "Now that's what I wanna hear. That's a good philosophy to go by in this place. We all got our little philosophies. Me, I gotta spread around a little chaos. Harley, to fawn and moon all over me until we have some brats of our own or something like that. But you henches have one goal and one goal alone: to do what I say and do a damn good job at it." The clown's voice was soft, but full of danger.

Charlie shivered in his seat, not wanting to meet the clown in the eyes again.

"What's the matter? Is it the scars? You sure do shake a lot."

"I'm—I'm sorry…I just…"

Before he could say anything, the clown's face was inches away from his. A knife was pointed at his throat just like it had been when he had met Harley.

"Now then," the Joker said with yet another lick to his lips. "Are you gonna swear that you'll do what I tell you to do? I wouldn't want to have to make a mess here in this room. This is my person place, you see. Your blood would stain the carpet."

"Please…"

"Haven't got all night. Are you going to listen to me like a good boy or do I have to cut you to ribbons?"

"YES!" screamed Charlie. "I will. Anything you want. Just don't kill me!"

With a shrug, the clown released him and Charlie got to his feet.

"Alright then," the Joker said with a nod. "You're in. Prove to me that Harley's right about you and I'll let you live. But don't underestimate me. If you betray me or try to run off, then I shall kill you. Or maybe I'll let Poke do the honors. He's awfully good at that kind of stuff."

Charlie swallowed and nodded. He would have nodded for an eternity if the clown would let him. Then he felt himself being pushed towards the door. It looked like their little chat was over.

"We're all counting on you, Hyde," the scarred man said softly. "Don't disappoint me."

And then Charlie was in the hall by himself. He pinched himself to make sure that he wasn't dead. Nope. Still there.

_So now I'm officially a henchman._

It had all gone so quickly! Only a few hours ago he was at his apartment and far away from this craziness.

On tip-toes, he descended the long staircase and was met with the applause of his new group.

"You're still alive. Looks like the boss accepted you."

"Welcome to the Joker-crew pal!"

"I knew you could do it. Now we'll have a medic!"

Poke stood in the shadows and grinned smugly at Charlie, not saying anything.

The woman named Harley Quinn came forward and gave him a friendly nudge. "Looks like you're one of us now, Hyde."

"Hyde? That's my last—"

"Charles is boring," she interrupted. "You're Hyde here. And we're gonna have lots and lots of fun together."

"I want to go home," Charlie squeaked.

Her eyes turned from friendly to fierce. "This is your home now. You're one of us. Welcome home, Hyde."

"Welcome home, Hyde," everyone else echoed.

_This is home alright,_ he thought darkly. _A hell-home._


	5. Sucking it Up

Charlie didn't know what to do. He was one of the Joker's henchmen now. Never had he thought that his life would throw him such an unexpected curveball. He had wanted to just continue his medical career in peace, probably find a nice girl to marry, and have a couple of kids. He didn't want this…craziness.

Now, leaning against the wall and watching the sun rise through the bleary warehouse windows, he felt trapped. He wanted to go home. He didn't want to be a criminal. Sure, he could always try to make a break for it, but the clown's dangerous voice continued to linger in his head.

"_If you betray me or try to run off, then I shall kill you."_

Charlie (or Hyde as he was now to be called) didn't want that to happen. To be killed by the Joker would be the worst way to go. So he had spent the hours leaning against the wall, unable to move in fear of being in danger. The other henchmen had disappeared, left to their own devices. To Charlie's relief, they hadn't really bothered him.

_What do I do now?_ Charlie wondered. _Am I really going to spend the rest of my days working for this murderer? Will it ever come to the point where I'd have to die for him?_

Charlie made a silent vow that he would not lose himself to the madness. Regardless of what the Joker would make him do, he would not become a monster in the process. As a medical-oriented man he had always valued the concept of sanity and regulation. With that as his shield, he vowed to find a way to make it through this experience alive.

"You don't have to look so distressed you know," a voice said. Charlie jerked his head towards it and saw that it was the older man, Cutter. "You didn't sleep either. There's a new cot for you to rest on if you want to."

Charlie stared at the ground. "I…I don't want to. They're in there…" He shrank back as Cutter came closer, standing beside him.

Presently, the older henchman pulled out a cigarette from the pocket of his coat, lighting it and breathing out a bit of smoke. "Want one?" he asked, offering one to Charlie. Charlie accepted the cigarette cautiously, letting Cutter to light it for him. They two men smoked quietly for a while.

Then Cutter broke the silence. "You don't need to worry about Poke and the others. They won't hurt you now that they see that you're one of us."

Charlie exhaled a cloud of smoke. "That Poke-guy would probably."

Cutter shook his head and laughed. "Poke's weird and crazy as hell, but he won't lay a finger on you. He doesn't do anything unless the boss tells him to. You're actually pretty lucky. It's not every day that one becomes part of this group so easily without any consequences."

Charlie relaxed slightly, more at ease with this information. "You know a lot about how the way things work around here, huh?"

Cutter nodded. "I'm sort of the third-in-command. I used to be the second until Harley came in. She's been our main leader unless the boss is around." Cutter looked over at the new henchman and frowned slightly. "What's wrong? You look troubled."

Charlie laughed bitterly. "Of course I'm troubled. I didn't want this. In just a few hours I've been made a lackey to the Joker." He didn't care if he was saying this to the third-in-command.

Cutter shrugged. "Some of us never wanted it either. But we accepted it eventually."

"How can I accept it if I don't even know what I'm in for? What will I have to do?"

_And, more importantly, who will I have to kill?_

"You have to do what the boss or Harley tells you to do," Cutter replied. "Perhaps you won't have to participate in that much action. After all, you don't seem to have any experience with weapons or anything. Perhaps you'll just stay on the sidelines and heal us when we need you to."

Charlie doubted it. He was pretty sure that the Harley-woman hadn't had any experience with weapons either. For a while, they smoked in silence.

"Why's that woman with him?" Charlie finally asked. "I mean, why her of all people? She was a doctor once…"

Cutter sighed. "Yes, she was once a doctor. She was his shrink at Arkham Asylum. He brought her along when he made his first breakout. She stayed with us for a couple of weeks. Eventually, she became devoted to him. At first, I thought it was Stockholm syndrome. But she really does love him. She believes in him more than any of us," he sighed again. "Me included."

Charlie bit his lip. "Are the things they say about her true? I mean, is she just as dangerous as he is?"

"Yes and no," Cutter replied. "Perhaps you'll find out for yourself."

Charlie's cigarette was almost burned out. He threw it and massaged his forehead, still eyeing Cutter warily. "And why are you here? Why are you working for him?"

Why indeed. This Cutter fellow did not seem all that dangerous. He seemed almost…normal.

Cutter laughed and threw his cigarette away as well. "The boss and I go back a long time. You could say that I owe him my life."

Charlie stared at the older man, watching the way the lines on his forehead became more prominent. "And that's why you do all this for him? That's why you're willing to kill innocent people for him?"

Cutter's gray eyes softened and he smiled sadly. "There are two reasons why I am here. They are what keep me fighting for the boss each and every day. One of them is because it is my duty to repay him for what he did for me."

"And the other?"

Cutter's sad smile faded and he stared out the window. He looked tired. "The other…is because of…" His voice trailed off and the words were lost. He shook his head and smiled again at Charlie, this time more cheerfully. "Never mind about that. I'll have to tell you about it some other time."

Charlie sighed and massaged his forehead again, fighting off the headache that was forming. He felt Cutter's large hand fall on his shoulder and he looked up into his face.

"Do what Harley and the boss say to do and you'll be fine, Hyde. You might not like doing what you'll do, but that's the way things go. Your new goal in life will be to do whatever you can for the boss. This is not a choice." His voice was soft and almost wistful. "Otherwise you won't last."

"And why are you giving me this advice? How come you care so much?"

Cutter laughed. "I suppose I'm not as mean as the others. Perhaps I never was. But I have faith in you, kid. You'll do okay. And if you cover our backs, I'll cover yours."

Charlie felt his heart soften a little for this man. Perhaps Cutter was not someone to detest among the Joker-crew. If Charlie ever got out of this, he hoped that Cutter wouldn't suffer for it.

"Anyway," Cutter said at length. "I'm headin' off to bed. The sun's coming up, but we usually don't do things during the day. Mind you, the boss is never really on any sort of schedule. If I were you, I'd be prepared for anything."

"Alright," Charlie said. "I'll see you…later then."

"Right." The henchman was beginning to stride away, fading into the shadowy gloom of the warehouse. Then he turned back around to face Charlie. "Oh, and Hyde?"

"Uh…yeah? What is it?"

"Don't try running off. I'd hate to see the boss or Poke waste you. It would be a damned shame to lose a new member." And then he was gone.

Charlie stared sulkily into space, biting his lip and lost in his thoughts. No, he couldn't escape. He would never make it. Cutter was right, there really was no choice.

Hyde. That's who was now. Not Charles. Not Charlie. Just Hyde—newest Joker-recruit and menace to society.

Lowering himself to the cold ground, Hyde leaned against the wall and brought his knees to his chest and hugged them. Closing his eyes, he drifted off into a fitful doze, caught in some dark dream where bat-wings fluttered in the night and manic laughter filled the air.


	6. The Joker's girl

Hyde spent most of the morning dozing in that spot against the wall, not really caring if he was sleeping on the floor. He woke up in the early-afternoon to someone's foot kicking him gently in the stomach. It didn't _hurt_ or anything, but it was enough to tear him from his dreams in a lurch.

"Hey! Up-an-at-em! Ya can't sleep all day." A woman's voice. _Her_ voice. She was leaning over him, prodding him roughly.

With a groan, he sat up and immediately became alert when he saw that he was in her presence. The last thing he wanted to do was have her tattle to the Joker about him.

She grinned when she saw that he was awake at last. "Glad to see that ya finally got some rest. But it was dumb of ya to go and sleep on the floor. There are rats and stuff prowlin' around, ya know."

Blinking dumbly up at the woman, he saw that she was free from her costume and war-paint. Her skin was a light peach-pink and her eyes were no longer fierce. She was wearing a light-blue tank-top and a pair of tattered jeans. Her blonde hair was still in girlish pigtails but for the most part she looked almost normal.

He drank in the sight of her, half-baffled that _this_ was the woman he had been afraid of last night. Her body was slender and beautifully-curved. Despite the childish expression she wore, the woman was a sight to behold.

Hyde shook his head and sighed. _Stop looking at her, you idiot. She's dangerous, remember?_

Harley poked him again, giggling slightly. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Ya gotta get up. Today ya start your new life as one of us."

His heart sank. _That's right. I'm a Joker-henchman now._ He felt cold.

With a swift tug, Harley pulled him to his feet. "Come on…don't just sit there. You got a lot to learn today."

"I…I do?" He hoped she wouldn't hear the reluctance in his voice.

"Sure! Ya gotta know what's to be expected of ya. Who knows? Maybe Mr. J will let us go out and play today." She giggled again and did a perfect front-flip.

_That's right. She was good at gymnastics. Guess she still does it for the clown. That explains how fast and acrobatic she is._

Her pigtails bobbed and she turned to smile at him. "My Puddin' has lots of plans for you, ya know."

"R-really?" Hyde didn't like the sound of that.

Her smile got wider and she nodded. "He's gonna see to it that you're an important member of this group. Told ya, he's got plans for you," Then she cocked her head and thought for a moment. "Well…maybe 'plans' is a wrong word. Mr. J doesn't make plans. I guess you could say that he's…interested in ya."

_Might as well act interested. I don't want to get on her bad side._

"Well, I hope I won't disappoint him. I vow to do what I can."

Harley pulled another front-flip. "That's good to hear. Ya better or else he'll be mad. And you don't want that."

Hyde followed her through the warehouse, stopping and waiting with feigned patience whenever she stopped to do another flip or cartwheel. Sometimes she'd hum to herself, staring dreamily off into space.

_She's crazy,_ he thought. _Bonkers. I can't believe she's the Joker's main squeeze. She's running all over the place like a little kid. Was she ever really even a doctor?_

He continued to follow her, coming to a room that appeared to be a sort of kitchen. There was a stove and a beat-up-looking fridge and a sink that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years.

Harley scampered over towards the fridge and pulled out a half-empty cereal-box. "Go on," she said, pointing towards the fridge. "Have something to eat. Mr. J doesn't eat all that much so there's bound to be something in there for ya."

_What am I, a friend that came over?_

Gloomily, Hyde trudged over towards the fridge and selected a slightly-bruised apple. Though he hadn't eaten much last night, he wasn't really all that hungry. Nibbling feebly at the lumpy piece of fruit, he watched the woman with cautious eyes.

She saw him and giggled. "You're still scared of me, aren't ya, Hyde?"

Swallowing, he nodded.

"You got nothin' to worry about. I don't bite. Now that you're one of Mr. J's guys, you and I are gonna be the best of friends!"

He seriously hoped not. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was become friends with the Joker's lover. She was hands-off material.

_But I might as well try to get friendly enough. I don't want to upset her…that would be bad._

"Um…so do you know what I'm supposed to do? I mean, this is all very sudden for me. I don't think I'd be all that useful in combat."

"Oh, that stuff comes with time," she said, waving her hand as if the concept of combat was the most casual topic in the world. "Me, I didn't know what to do at the very beginning. But after I found out how great my Puddin' is, it all just came to me."

_I bet it did. After turning crazy, I'll bet killing people came to you just fine. _He gritted his teeth, but said nothing.

Dimly, he wondered why the other henchmen weren't around. It was the early-afternoon after all. Perhaps Harley had made sure that they were kept separate from him so as not to spook him.

Harley continued to much contently on her cereal and examined him. "Yup. I could tell that you were just the guy we needed. You got some nice strong legs on ya. Good for running. That'll help ya whenever we're tangling with fast-guys like the Bat."

_The Bat…_ How he wished the Batman was here to rescue him! Hyde had never been too fond of the caped vigilante, but he certainly could use his help right about now.

"How often do you guys get yourselves injured?" he inquired timidly. "I mean, surely you must get hurt all the time with the…law enforcement always chasing after you?"

She shrugged. "Old Gordon and his boys just _love_ chasin' after us. They can be pretty annoying if we're trying to pull off a bank-job or something. The Bat also is a real pain," her eyes hardened at the mere mentioning of the man. "Batsy puts up a hell of a fight and poor Mr. J gets all covered with bruises and boo-boos. And if it isn't the Batman that's thrashing us, it's the other big shot criminals of this city. We got a little truce with Crane for now, but we tend to rough ourselves up every-now-and-then."

"Crane…you mean the Scarecrow?"

"Yep. Johnny can be a real dear when he's in a good mood, but he can also be a pain in the ass to work with. His goons are willing to beat the hell out of you if they catch you alone, truce or no truce."

Hyde gulped and she smiled.

"So there ya go. Gordon, the Bat, and Crane. They're our wound-benefactors. Personally, I'd saw that you're bound to meet Gordon in just about any time we go out. I wouldn't worry too much about Crane. Johnny and I are actually sort of starting to get along so I won't let him hurt ya. But the Bat…you gotta watch out for him. He once hurt my Puddin' so badly that he was stuck in bed for weeks. But, then again, it was that act that finally allowed me to break free. I guess Batsy was really the one who made me realize just how much I love Mr. J."

_Lovely. I can see that you love him. You love him to the point where you came crawling back to him after he shoved you out a window. I remember that. I saw it on the news. If I don't watch my back, I'll be the own getting thrown out a window…_

He stared at her again, examining every detail of her face. It was pitiful. This woman was cute enough to have the world in the palm of her hand (in a _good_ way) and here she was working for a madman. Once, she had been innocent. Once, she had been a doctor, not too unlike himself, and she had sought to do good in her world. Was she really as bad as everyone said she was?

Come to think of it, as involved as she was in creating chaos alongside her boss, it had never been reported that she had actually _killed_ someone. It could be assumed she did since her lover tended to slaughter people whenever the chance was given to him, but she didn't seem to act like a killer. She was dangerous, sure, but Hyde could almost feel something else radiating out of her…a sort of light…but what?

"Harley," an excited voice called out, breaking Hyde's trance. "News from the Boss. He wants us to go deliver a message to Bromley's crew."

_Bromley? Isn't he the guy who's controlling the streets in west-Gotham?_ Hyde had heard of him—a killer and a gangster that liked to engage in acts such as robbing commonplace drugstores and banks. A small-fry compared to the Joker, but definitely not someone to fuck around with.

"Bromley, huh?" Harley's baby-blue eyes were wide with interest. "What kind of message, Rocco?"

"Bromley and his goons have been trying to take over the area. The boss wants us to go and let them know who's the real boss here." Rocco was grinning.

Harley clapped her hands in amusement. "Sounds like lots of fun! Go and get the others. Mr. J is staying here, right?"

A nod from Rocco.

The blonde woman jumped to her feet and giggled. "Alright. More for us then!" She ran over to where Hyde was sitting and grabbed his sleeve. "Come on, you. Its playtime and we're gonna take you out for some fun. Consider it you're first real adventure with us."

Before he could protest, he was being dragged into the main warehouse-area where all the others were waiting. Something was being shoved into his arms and dimly, he realized that it was a gun.

"We're gonna show you a good time, Hyde," Harley said with a happy laugh. Her red harlequin-coat was now on and she was quickly covering her face with war-paint. The friendly woman from a few minutes ago disappeared behind a demonic mask of white and black. Her dark lips stretched across her face in an eerie Glasgow smile. "Gonna show you how to spread Mr. J's message properly."

He stared at the gun in his hands and gulped. A hand placed itself on his shoulder and he saw that it belonged to Cutter. The older man looked down on him sympathetically and Hyde knew that there was no turning back now.

Fully consumed by the harlequin getup, Harley whipped out her knife and stood in front of them, dancing in a graceful circle and giggling like a schoolgirl.

"We're gonna show them what's-what, boys," she said. "We're gonna remind them who's city this is."

Hyde could taste dread in his mouth.

It tasted like blood.

XxX

_**A/N – (Slowly walks up to podium) Ahem…**_

_**Friends, countrymen, lend me your reviews!**_

_**:D**_

_**That is all. **_

_**(Walks away)**_

_**-CAT**_


	7. Gunfire

The ride to west-Gotham was pretty uncomfortable.

Granted, the absence of the Joker seemed to alleviate Hyde's fear a tad bit, but riding in the backseat next to the others proved to be slightly nerve-racking.

Cutter, the only fellow he felt somewhat at ease with, was the one driving the vehicle. Harley sat as his side in the driver's seat, occasionally whispering a string of endless babble in the older man's ear and laughing softly.

Hyde was squished in between Rocco and Henshaw added in for extra discomfort. The dark-haired man often peered over at him with those wild twitchy eyes and spoke of fire and how wonderful it was to burn something. Hyde tried not to maintain eye-contact with the weirdo and kept his eyes to the gun that was clutched in his arms.

_Am I really going to have to fire this thing? We're heading towards a dangerous street-gang and we're going to fight with them! I could get myself killed!_

But, then again, there was also something to be gained out of all of this. Perhaps in the miracle that the woman and her companions would get killed and he managed to avoid Bromley and his gang, perhaps he could make it out of there alive and go to the police.

But still the Joker's warnings echoed in his ear. The clown would find him and kill him for that.

So Hyde remained silent and tried his best not to think about it. Thankfully, Rocco and Henshaw (Who turned out to be cousins), did not speak that much unless it was to each other. But Poke would not leave him alone.

"You're shaking a bit, new-guy. Nervous, hm? Don't you worry. It'll be a riot. A real gasser. The boss always gives us these fun little mini-missions. It gives us some exercise. Bromley will be easy. The guy probably wets his bed every night just thinking about the boss."

"So you do this stuff for a living? Just going and killing other gangs?"

Poke chuckled and twirled his knife in his hands. "We're not a _gang_, Hydie-boy. We're _elite_. To be with the boss is to rule the city with an iron fist. We don't even need the boss for this kind of thing. Harley usually leads us for this. The girl's an airhead around the boss, but she's bloody brilliant when she's leading us on these mini-missions. You'll see."

"Shucks, Poke, I'm blushing!" Harley said sweetly from the front seat. "You know how to flatter a girl, don'tcha?"

Poke grinned and rubbed his head with the dull edge of his knife. "I do try, Harl."

Rocco snorted and polished his gun. "Stop flirting with Harley, Poke. The boss would be mighty pissed at you."

"Yeah," Henshaw giggled. "He'd have your head on a silver platter, dear as you are to him."

Poke laughed and leaned back. "Aw, shut up the lot of you."

"We'll be there soon," Cutter stated out loud in a serious tone. "Start looking-alive, everyone."

Harley rolled her eyes and nuzzled Cutter's shoulder. "Good ole Cutter: always no-nonsense and ready to go. You're our crowning glory." She gave him another affectionate nuzzle and then drew herself away, looking out the window eagerly. "Bromley's gonna wish he hadn't made the mistake of trying to call Gotham his own."

"We'll do a number on him, won't we?" Poke said, nodding and giggling. "We'll show him what it means to own this city."

The cousins voiced their agreement and Hyde could feel his stomach turning.

The area they had come to was no longer as populated or as safe-looking as it had looked earlier. The streets were dirty and several of the buildings had windows that were broken and cracked. The alleyways were cluttered with rats and trash and the only people that were seen walking down the sidewalk were punks and drunken men.

The van pulled into a wide dark alleyway and stopped, giving them all the chance to adjust their weapons and breathe in the moment.

"Bromley's main turf is in that apartment over there," Harley whispered, pointing to a particularly run-down-looking apartment across the street. "We need to get in there fast and take out any of his boys that we see. Leave Bromley alive though. Mr. J might need him for later for a little blackmailing or two. Follow me and watch your backs. Hyde, stay behind Rocco and Henshaw. They'll cover you. Shoot when you need to."

Clutching his gun with trembling hands, Hyde nodded and tried to keep up as they made a swift dash for the apartment. Before he even had time to blink, they were inside and bullets were being fired. Were they from Bromley's men or from the others? Hyde didn't know. It had all happened too quickly.

Rocco and Henshaw stood in front of him and fired their guns—sending a spray of bullets all over the place. Poke raced ahead and laughed frantically, whipping out his knife to occasionally slit a throat or two of any men he came across. Harley might have been the fiercest fighter of them all. She had not only shot several men in the arm, but she had apparently abandoned her weapon and was now fighting with her fists—speckling blood all over her war-painted face. Her eyes were wide and excited, almost relishing in the pain of the men. Hyde managed to fire a few half-hearted shots, but missed just about everything entirely. Bromley's goons or not, he didn't want to kill.

Soon, the room was filled with bodies—both dead and unconscious—and the remaining goons had fled for the upper-floor, presumably to alert their boss.

Harley grinned and motioned her group to move forward, ascending the staircase quickly with readied weapons.

_What if we get up there and they open fire on us? We'll be killed!_

Cutter ran beside him and raised his gun alertly. "You're going to have to really try to shoot. Bromley is up here and his men are gonna give us everything they got."

Hyde bit his lip and felt himself sweating. "But…"

The older man's gray eyes were stern. "You have to shoot! You can't let us get hurt because of you!"

"Get ready!" Harley called up ahead. Her black lips were stretched back into a wide grin. "Now's when the real fun starts!"

They dove down the hall, panting and charging at top speed, towards Bromley's main chambers. Several goons attempted to stop them, but Harley knocked them out before they even had the chance to fire their guns. Her lean body moved like a bullet, clawing, punching, and kicking anyone who got in her way.

"Crazy bitch!" an emerging goon screamed, firing an onslaught of bullets in her direction.

Harley whirled on him quicker than lightning, doing an expert flip and breaking his nose with her kick. He fell to the ground and whimpered as blood ran down his face in a stream.

"Where's Bromley?" she asked in a sickly-sweet voice, making both Hyde and the goon cringe. "We came to pay him a little visit."

"I ain't telling you noth—"

Harley kicked him firmly in the ribs, giggling as he reeled back in pain.

"R-room 24! It's a few h-h-halls down! He's in there!"

"Good boy." She gave him another kick and signaled her team to move, leaving the unfortunate goon to stew in pain on the floor.

"Nice moves, Harl," Poke said with a smirk. "The boss would be proud."

"Yes he would," she replied breathlessly, charging ahead with even more energy than before. They all continued to follow her and Hyde could not deny that he was getting pumped. It wasn't that he was enjoying this—he just was getting a bit excited.

Room 24 stood ahead with its door open—revealing at least twelve of Bromley's men. Bromley himself stood in the middle and was armed with what looked like a large rifle. The sight of it made Hyde want to turn tail and run as far away as he could, but Harley continued to keep them moving, stopping only when they were close enough to pause.

"Hi, Brommers," she said with a wave when they had stopped in the doorway. "Me and my boys wanted to stop and see ya. How ya doin'?"

Bromley's men had their guns ready, but Bromley motioned them not to fire. "I was wondering if I'd ever get to see the Joker's main squeeze. You must be it. Your face with that shitty paint on looks just as fucking creepy as his does."

"Such a way with words! No wonder you seized some pathetic scrap of control around this area."

Beside him, Hyde could hear Poke snicker.

Bromley raised his gun and pointed it menacingly in the direction of Harley's head. "You killed a bunch of my men. That pisses me off. What the fuck do you want anyway?"

Her blue eyes sparkled. "Mr. J just wanted us to remind you whose city this is."

Bromley snorted. "The Joker doesn't own this fucking city."

"Oh, but he _does_. And it's the scum like you that goes and tries to take it from him. That isn't very nice." Her fingers twitched slightly and Cutter stepped closer to her side, almost protectively.

"You can go and tell the Joker that I'm not afraid of him," Bromley said with a snarl. "The fucking clown won't last too much longer. Once guys like me take more control, his ass will be dead in a heartbeat."

"And so would yours," she replied darkly, gritting her teeth and balling her hands into fists. "You kill him and I will kill you."

Bromley and his men chuckled. "Like fuck you will! A bitch like you can't kill me. You and your clown won't be around forever. In fact…" he signaled to his men and they raised their guns again, pointing at Harley and her team. "I'd say that we should just waste you now. With Joker's whole team wiped out, there'll just be him left to finish."

"You're about to make a big mistake," Harley said in a voice just barely above a whisper. "Fire one shot and I swear to you that things will get messy."

"The only thing that's about to get messy is your fucking corpse, _bitch!_" Bromley screamed. They fired on them.

The pandemonium was even greater than it had been when they had first come in. Bullets grazed everything from the walls to the carpet to the ceiling. Hyde ducked and did everything in his power to dodge the gunfire, not even trying to lift his gun in retaliation.

The others, however, were extraordinary. Cutter took out four men with a simple spray of bullets, getting hit just barely when a bullet grazed his cheek. Poke had abandoned his gun yet again and was slashing flesh with his knife like a bloodthirsty demon, skillfully evading every fire at him. Rocco and Henshaw had charged together in the action, firing in different directions and taking down at least two men. Harley fired her gun and struck several men in the legs and shoulders, resorting to her acrobatic way of fighting whenever she was close enough. She actually managed to fire and hit Bromley in the leg, dodging the bullets of retaliation that followed.

All the while, Hyde cowered in the background and shook in terror, trying to shield himself from the violence.

_This is hell! I've gotta get out of here!_

He was too scared to fire his gun. Too scared to pull the trigger and wound or kill a man. Too scared to—

"Hyde! Behind you!"

Hyde turned to see that one of Bromley's men was coming directly for him, aiming his gun towards his head. Hyde's eyes widened and he stood in paralyzed horror, wondering if this was the end.

BANG!

To Hyde's amazement, the man fell to the ground, groaning in pain at the bullet-wound he had received in the shoulder. Turning around, he saw that Harley's gun was smoking at the tip. She was looking at him with concern.

"You okay?"

_She…saved me. She just saved my life…_

"You alright?" she asked again, wiping a speckle of blood off her cheek. "I got him for ya. Watch your back next time!"

From on the ground, Bromley gnashed his teeth and let out a low snarl. "There won't be a next time…not for you…" He weakly lifted his arm and fired.

"Harley!"

She managed to turn in time to avoid a fatal hit to the heart, but the bullet struck her through her upper-chest towards her shoulder, making her scream as she fell to the ground in pain. Blood soaked through the wound, staining the already-red cloak.

Before he knew what he was doing, Hyde was charging forward—almost on pure animalistic instinct. His blood boiled angrily through his veins, making him scream in fury as he pointed his gun towards Bromley and pulled the trigger. The bullets shot out and struck Bromley's face. The man immediately fell face-down in his own blood.

He was dead.


	8. Stitches

_I…I just killed a man. Oh God! Oh Christ! I just fucking killed a man!_

Hyde's world felt dizzy and he could feel himself sinking to the ground, feeling the need to vomit.

"He did it," Poke's voice said in wonder. "Hyde just killed Bromley."

Hyde could feel his stomach churning and he held it as it finally gave away and he threw up on the carpet. The air stank of blood and gunfire.

_I'm a murderer! I'm no better than all the others!_

Cutter's hand was suddenly on his shoulder. "It's done. They're all dead. We need to get out of here before the GCPD catches wind of this."

"Cutter," Rocco said nervously. "Harley's hurt. She needs help."

"Let's carry her back to the van," Henshaw said, looking down at the woman who was biting her lip in trying not to cry. "Hyde can fix her up."

"Right," Cutter said with a nod. "Let's go. Come on. On your feet."

He pulled Hyde up by the arm and forced him to move. Hyde shuffled like a zombie, still caught in the tangles of shock and despair.

_I killed someone…I'm a murder!_

He never wanted to kill anyone, even if it was a criminal. He had fired out of rage. He had fired because he had wanted to avenge the woman who had saved his life. It was just…instinct. He didn't know what he was doing.

Propping a bleeding Harley up, Rocco managed to guide them back out of the ruined apartment building and back towards the van. They tossed Harley in the front seat and clambered quickly inside as Cutter started the engine and sped off as fast as he possibly could.

Hyde sat in the backseat and stared into space, still convulsing with shock and disgust for himself. The van swerved left and right, moving with enough frantic speed to run into something. But Cutter managed to maneuver it just right and the van skidded through the streets like a bat out of hell—headed for the docks.

Rocco and Henshaw were fidgeting nervously in their seats, staring over at Harley, who was beginning to cough in pain.

"Cutter—"

"I know, I know…let me just…" The van made a wide, sharp turn and they had driven behind a large fishery warehouse, concealing the van. "Alright. We need to do this fast. We got a first-aid kit in the trunk. Hyde, take care of Harley."

Before Hyde could say anything, Poke had scampered out of the van and was rummaging through the trunk, coming back and plopping a first-aid kit on Hyde's lap.

"This…this isn't even close to the proper medical equipment for this kind of stuff!"

"Tough," Poke said grimly. "It's all we got. We figured as our new medic you'd be better at patching her up than we would."

Sighing, Hyde decided to temporarily block the memory of his killing away from his mind, getting up and heading over to where Harley was sluggishly resting. "Get her out of the van and prop her up against the warehouse wall."

They complied with his demands and dragged Harley out, propping her up against the hard red bricks as her eyes began to flicker in and out of focus.

"H-hurts," she said weakly. "Hurts a lot…"

"It'll be alright," Hyde said in his best soothing voice. "I need to remove the bullet and then I'll do what I can to treat the wound. It'll probably need to be stitched up. Just try to keep conscious, okay?"

_I really hope she doesn't die. The Joker would kill me for that._

The others had stepped away and were now spread out; keeping an eye out in case anyone happened to see them. Left alone, Hyde found that he could think clearer. Very, very gently, he removed Harley's blood-stained coat and hesitated. The bullet-wound was in the upper area of her chest. That meant…

"I'm, uh…going to have to take your shirt off," he told her with a blush. "I have to remove the bullet. Is that alright with you?"

A languid nod.

"R-right…" He slowly removed the shirt, revealing the creamy-peach color of her skin underneath. "O-okay…" It was taking everything in his power not to look at the gorgeous female mounds that we clasped tightly beneath a black bra.

_Don't look at them, you pervert! You are not here to act like a schoolboy! Focus, and get that bullet out!_

Swallowing, he found the wound and inspected it. It looked bad. I would definitely get infected if he didn't treat it. Reaching over at the first-aid kit, he pulled out an old pair of rubber medical gloves and exhaled sharply.

"Okay. This might hurt. I need you to try not to squirm or move around. Can you hold still for me?"

He felt like he was talking to a child. She bit her lip and nodded, her eyes squeezed shut. Lowering himself above her chest, he reached for the wound and began. She uttered a small whimper of pain but, to his relief, did not move an inch. His gloves were getting wet from the blood, but he kept at it, finding the bullet and removing it carefully.

"Alright. I got it," he tossed the bullet on the ground and inspected the wound. "I have to clean the wound up and stitch it to prevent infection. If it goes untreated, you could go into shock and probably die. Do you understand?"

"Y-yeah…"

He dug through the first-aid kit, finding a gauze pad and a needle. Wetting the pad, he reached over and gently put pressure on the wound, wiping away the blood all the while with a handkerchief. When the wound was cleaner, he decided that it was time to do the stitching.

"N-needle," Harley croaked in terror as she saw the sharp, pointed object he was holding.

"I got to do it," he replied gently, still keeping pressure on the wound. "Try to bear with me, alright? Just don't think about it."

He began.

"Why did you save me?" he asked as the needle dug in. "I went into this against my will and I was nothing special to you."

Her face winced in pain, but she managed to give him a small smile. "I—_hng_—didn't want to lose ya just yet. You hadn't even been with us for a long time. It would be a—_ngh_—waste."

"I didn't want to kill anyone. I never did."

"But ya did. Ya killed Bromley."

"I didn't _want_ to though. I did it because…because…well, I don't know why."

"We all do things we don't want to do, Hyde. We experience all kinds of things, some good and some bad. We change from them."

He looked down at her sternly. "Like how you changed for the Joker?"

She smiled weakly. "Puddin' was so good to me…he loves me."

"He loves you enough to send you to a place where you'd get hurt."

"People are always sayin' that I'm makin' a mistake…that Mr. J isn't the right guy for me…but I can't help it. I love him. I love him _so much_."

"You were once a doctor," he said softly. "You shouldn't have become what you are now."

She winced again, feeling the tug of the needle on her flesh. "It was fate. It was what I was meant for. Before Mr. J, there was no one."

"I read an article that said that you were friendly with Dr. Jeremiah Arkham. Was he not someone?"

She frowned and her left eye twitched slightly. "He didn't _really_ care. It was an act. He didn't care about Mr. J and I'll bet he could care less about me now. Jerry is just another victim of the Joke."

"The Joke?"

"It's all around us, trying to make us give in and fall under its rules and regulations. Until you learn how to break free—like Mr. J—you'll always be its pawn. To get the Joke is to be free of the Joke."

"I don't understand."

"You will eventually. I didn't at first. But Mr. J taught me how it goes. And now…I'm free."

"You're also bleeding pretty badly," he replied darkly. "Keep holding still. I'm almost done."

"You're so concerned," she said in an amused tone, staring out into space. "You remind me a bit of my pal, Red. I'll bet you two would be good friends."

"Keep still."

"You wonder why I chose you, Hyde? I'll tell you. It's because I somehow knew that you were just the addition we needed. You look like you've got your head on your shoulders. And I guess…that's sort of what I like. I like people who know what's what. They see a path that is clear and they're always reaching for it," she coughed and smiled. "Just like my Puddin'."

_I'm not like him though. I'll NEVER be like him. _

"Alright. It's done. I've got to bandage it up. I think you'll be alright now. You're probably going to be listless for the next few days because you lost a lot of blood, but I don't think it'll get infected. I'm glad I was able to treat it fast enough."

He wrapped the wound carefully, raising her up slightly and being cautious around the stitches. He almost gasped when he saw an odd scar-mark on the left side of her upper-back near her shoulder. _**J + H**_

_That's sick. That's many different kinds of sick._

When he was done bandaging her wound, he set her against the wall again and sighed, reaching for her shirt and helping her put it back on.

"All done."

"I'm impressed," she said with a weak chuckle. "You did just as good as I thought you would do. Yes, you'll gonna be fine addition to our team."

_Which means more killing_ he thought in cold despair.

"I just did what I was taken in for," he replied. "And…I guess…for you saving my life back there. I suppose I did it for that too."

She giggled, still half-grimacing in pain. "You're a sweetie, Hyde. I think you and I are gonna be the best of friends."

_Friends?_

She was his friend? This villainous, eccentric, crazed lunatic of a woman was calling him her friend? His heart thumped in his chest and he repressed the urge to blush nervously.

"Um…yeah. Sure…"

She giggled again and pulled her coat back towards her with her foot. "We'll be like a great team, you and I. We'll do lots of capers together and we'll…" she trailed off, her eyes heavy with tiredness and fatigue.

Hyde watched as she sighed and relaxed slightly, trying to determine whether she was drifting off in exhaustion or falling unconscious as a result of the wound. He reached over and checked her pulse, putting a hand on her forehead afterwards. Her skin felt hot, but not something to be concerned about just yet. A stray lock of blonde hair stood out and gently, he smoothed it back.

Seeing her so frail and exhausted like this was an almost endearing sight. A wave of tenderness swept through him suddenly and he wondered if he was out of his mind. She had touched him somehow. He didn't know how to fully describe it, but she did. She had brought something genuinely sympathetic out of him. He didn't understand why she had lost her mind so tragically to a murderous killer, but he could sense that she wasn't as evil as everyone said. Here, leaning against the wall and trembling, she was nothing more than a weak, wounded child…a child dressed in bloodstained clothing and lost in a world of madness.

Turning, he saw that Cutter was approaching them, followed by the others close behind. "We can't stay here. We must go back."

"I know. I'm done here. I think she'll be alright now."

"Then let's get going. Rocco, Henshaw, get her back in the van." The two cousins went over and led Harley back to the vehicle. Poke followed them silently, hopping in the backseat.

"You did a good thing," Cutter said to Hyde. "If she makes it through, the boss will be pleased."

"She'll make it. I cleaned the wound as much as possible. I don't think there'll be an infection."

"Good. The boss is going to treat you well. After all, you're the one who killed a dangerous crime-boss. You'll be moving up the ranks after this, not that there's really that many ranks in this team."

_And all for killing a man. _Hyde's stomach churned again. _I just won't think about it. I have to stop thinking about it. Yeah…that's it…_

"Come on. Let's go."

They climbed in the van and headed for the hideout. The vehicle sped, but not as urgently as it had before. It seemed that Cutter was more at ease.

"Too bad the Bat didn't show up," Poke was saying. "But then again, it's probably all for the best. The boss would get pissed if he found out that we tangled with the Bat without him."

"Bromley sure was a real pain. All those goons of his were rough. One of them almost shot me in the neck."

"It's a good thing we got a medic on board," Henshaw said brightly, and everyone smiled at Hyde. "We got us a bitchin' medic that takes down crime-bosses."

"We're a true golden team now," Poke said with a giggle. "I'd like to see Gordon and his men try to take us on now."

Hyde squirmed in his seat and tried not to listen. His eyes kept going back to Harley, who was curled up in the front seat. She let out a low mewling noise and rested her head on Cutter, who, in response, wrapped an arm around her. Hyde's heart thumped again and he forced himself to look out the window, trying to banish the memory of killing Bromley from his mind.

Finally, they arrived back.

Cutter helped Harley out of the van and they made their way through the main entrance, sealing off the thick metal door once they were all inside.

"Boss," Poke called out in the darkness. "We're back."

From above, on top of the stairwell, two glowing eyes loomed down at them. Hyde gulped and shrunk back behind Rocco and Henshaw as the Joker's scarred face came into view.

"What the hell happened to Harley, hm? She looks like she's about to drop."

"We got into a bit of trouble while we were there. She's okay now though. Hyde fixed her up."

The clown began to slowly descend down the stairs, making them bow their heads humbly. His thick purple coat swirled elegantly and he walked over towards Cutter, eyeing the fatigued Harley.

"I'd say that someone looks like she's been shot pretty badly. I bet ole Brommers gave you guys quite a bit of hell. Did you give him the message?"

"Bromley is dead, boss," Henshaw replied. "Hyde killed him."

The clown's eyes flicked over at Hyde. "Well well…looks like you've become quite the hero. The plan was to leave Bromley alive, but I always like it when things don't go according to plan." He grinned and Hyde felt his blood turning cold. The way the scars stretched when he smiled was utterly spooky. Then the clown turned back to Cutter and inspected Harley. "You say that our Hyde fixed her up, hm? Not bad. Looks like little Harls will live to see another day."

The Joker reached over and touched Harley's blood-streaked cheek, making her stir slightly. She opened her eyes a fraction of an inch and smiled broadly. "Hi, Puddin'."

"You've been shot, my pet. You're all tuckered out."

"We had some fun, Mr. J…we went out and showed those meanies what for…"

He chuckled, making Hyde's knees tremble. "I bet you did…" He looked over at Hyde and then at the others. "Scoot now, kiddies. Harley and I are going upstairs. The lot of you reeks of blood and gunpowder—an exciting smell, mind you, but a sour one. Leave us." He took Harley from Cutter and scooped her up in his arms, cradling her in an almost tender manner. "And Hyde, remind me to give you a little reward for your victory. I'd say that Harley made a good choice in acquiring you."

The clown began to turn and walk towards the stairway. The others began to depart, but Hyde hung back, listening to the whispers that were uttered silently.

"You shouldn't go and get yourself hurt, my pet. Daddy needs you for when we pull off a big job. How will you be able to help me fight Batsy if you're weak and useless?"

"I'll get better, Mr. J. I help you no matter what…"

"Little Harley sounds tired. Sleepy, aren't you?"

"Yeah," came the reply, small and childish. "Sleepy…"

"We're going to bed now, my pet. You're going to get some nice rest. And once you're better, we're going to throw Gotham a big party."

"A….party….?"

"That's right. One with lots of smiles and fireworks."

"I like fireworks, Puddin'…."

"I know," replied the clown with a low chuckle. "You better be well by then though. You don't want to be a spoil-sport."

"I won't…I…"

"Shh…." Hyde watched from the shadows as the scarred man carried the woman up the stairs towards the room he resided in. With one arm, he began to shut the door slowly.

Though he couldn't see it clearly enough, Hyde could have sworn that the clown had flashed a grin at him.


	9. Beer with the Clown

The Joker sat up in bed and ran a hand through his wild hair, licking his lips and blinking in the gloom. Groggily, he got out of bed and went over towards the mirror that hung from the wall, inspecting himself. Then he went over towards the window and stared out into the night. He could see the bright lights of Gotham City in the distance, flickering like fireflies. The crescent moon hung from the air, just starting to trail its way back down towards the earth. It would be dawn soon.

Hearing a tiny groan, he turned to see Harley sitting up somewhat in bed. She was smiling at him sleepily, biting her lip slightly from the pain of having to sit up.

"You're supposed to be asleep. That little wound of yours needs time to heal."

A tiny whimper of protest escaped her lips.

He strolled over and sat on the side of the bed, reaching over to feel her forehead. "You're running a temperature. Go back to sleep."

"You too," she whined.

"Daddy doesn't want to," he purred. "I have things to do. Besides, I'm done sleeping and you need your rest, my pet."

"But Puddiiiiin'!"

He growled and shoved her back down, licking his lips again. Harley could really be damned annoying sometimes. If she weren't already so hurt, he would have hit her. But the feverish sickly-sweet look in her eyes made it almost impossible for him to not give in.

Grumbling under his breath, he crawled back under the covers next to her. Her weak, wounded little body snuggled into him, letting him feel the warmth of her skin. Her breathing was a bit more rapid than usual, but he supposed she was alright. That Hyde fellow had actually done a good job in treating her. Reluctantly, he stroked her hair, hating the paternal soothing-sounds that he was whispering in her ear.

For a while, he laid there in the darkness, listening to the sounds of her breathing. When he felt that she had fallen back asleep, he got up, put on his coat, and left.

XxX

Hyde had not heard the sounds of crickets for a long time. Not since he had been a very small boy. But they were going at it now; he could hear them chirping outside.

And the sound was what had drawn him from bed to begin with. He was not fond of the idea of sleeping on a cot near the others and he didn't want to just lay there in the darkness—tossing and turning from the nightmares he was having. He kept dreaming of the death he had caused; Bromley's empty, vacant face as it rested in a puddle of blood. So he had gotten up and wandered around the facility, listening to the sounds of the crickets and leaning drowsily against the wall from time to time.

He wished Cutter was up. Cutter was probably the only one he felt comfortable around. Plus, he really wanted a cigarette. But the older henchman was still asleep with the others and Hyde was alone.

_Alone…_

He blinked and stared at the iron door across the large room.

_That's the entranceway. That's where we go in and out. That's where I would have to go if I wanted to leave…_

The temptation was powerful. Why not leave? He had done what was needed of him. He had helped heal the wounded Harley and he had gone on a harebrained mission with them. He had played his part, hadn't he? So the best decision was to leave now before everyone else woke up. Simple as that.

But it wasn't that simple. Hyde didn't dare go towards that door. He knew that he would never truly escape. He couldn't leave because he had killed a man. He was probably now considered a wanted criminal, assuming they were looking for him. If he stayed here, he would be stuck in a cage of chaos and madness and if he left he would be stuck in a cage of guilt and fear of the future. It was a lose/lose situation any which way you put it.

"An early bird I see…" a low voice spoke in the dimness, making Hyde jump.

"W-who…?"

"No need to get so jumpy. It's only me." The Joker's demonic eyes glowed in the darkness and Hyde felt his knees tremble, more terrified than anything else. The clown stepped out of the shadows, licking his lips. His face was clear of war-paint, but it somehow managed to give the scars and even spookier appearance. He wore a thick purple coat that was similar to Harley's crimson diamond one, but much longer in length.

"Oh! Mr. J-Joker s-sir…I uh…um…"

The clown giggled and stepped closer, running a hand through his thick greasy hair. "It's only four A.M. What would my newest henchman be doing up so early, hm?"

"I wa-was just…"

"Thinking of leaving, were you?"

Hyde shook his head furiously. "No, sir! I wasn't! I promised I wouldn't."

The Joker cocked his head. "Then what _were_ you doing? Sleepwalking, I bet…all the way to the exit."

"No, sir! I…I was just listening to the crickets."

The clown's brow furrowed. "Crickets?" He tilted his head and listened, hearing the soft chirping in the background.

"I hadn't heard crickets since I was very young," Hyde explained, hoping the clown would understand. "I got up because I couldn't sleep and because I wanted to listen to them. I'm not about to leave, sir. I don't want you to come after me." He swallowed.

The Joker shrugged and stood next to him, grinning broadly. "Alright then. I can dig that. Besides, you know what I would do if you left." His smile was like a dagger to the flesh, making Hyde's legs turn to jelly. Hyde knew perfectly well what he would do.

"Yes, sir."

The clown giggled again and, to Hyde's horror, wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Hyde could smell gunpowder on his coat—that, and the subtle coppery smell of blood.

"So…it looks like my little medic has become quite the little helper. You offed Bromley for me. _Quite_ an accomplishment…" His eyes glittered.

"I didn't _want_ to," Hyde gurgled out. "Harley said to keep him alive after all."

Another giggle. "I think it's better that Bromley's out. You went and broke up the little plan my hench-wench was forming. A fellow that does something that isn't according to plan is a fellow after my own heart." The clown, with his dreadful arm still around Hyde's shoulder, began leading them towards the kitchen-area.

"Please, sir," Hyde squeaked. "How is Harley? Is she alright?"

The scarred man shrugged again and licked his lips. "Same as she ever was—just a tad bit weak at the moment. She's a bit warm to the touch, but I doubt she'll die or anything. I'm somewhat surprised at how well you fixed her up. Granted, I guess that's to be expected of a med-kid of your skill." He led Hyde towards the fridge and finally released his arm, opening the fridge and rummaging around. "After all your good work, I'd say you deserve a little reward."

"Sir?"

"I told you earlier. So here you go."

Hyde flinched when a can of beer was tossed into his arms, blinking at the clown in confusion. "Uh…?"

"Go ahead," his boss said, waving a hand. "Have one. You deserve it. It's Coors and it's a bit stale, but what the hell, am I right?" He grabbed himself a can of his own and opened it, slurping the foam.

Timidly, so as not to upset the clown, Hyde opened his can and sipped at the contents, trying not to grimace at the taste. Blinking slightly, he noticed that the shoes the clown was wearing were dark with thick black mud. Had he been out?

The Joker noticed Hyde's stare and chuckled. "Been prowling about, Hyde my boy," he said, licking his lips and taking a swallow at the beer. "Gotham might not be all that active at this time of day, but there are interesting things to see in the dark."

"What kind of things?" Hyde really didn't want to know, but he wanted anything that would keep the conversation friendly.

"Oh…just things. Sometimes you see some of Crane's men lurking about. Always fun to mess with them. Or sometimes you find yourself a rogue GCPD member that was unlucky enough to get himself lost…" The clown smirked mischievously. "Or other times you're lucky enough to hear the sound of _him_."

"Him?"

The glowing dark-brown eyes met his light-hazel ones. "The Batman. You never know when he's around. Sometimes, I can feel him…sense him. He's out there, waiting for when we'll duel again. We duel a lot, you see. You probably heard all about it on the news. But he's waiting for when we duel for the last time…wondering who will win in the end."

"The last time…?"

The scars stretched into an unearthly grin. "One of us will die—him or me. And in one of us dying, the other will never be the same again. It was what we were born for…to fight each other until one of us dies. And if one of us doesn't die, then we will fight forever."

Hyde took a swallow at his beer and nodded feebly, trying not to look queasy.

The clown crunched his empty can in his hands and cocked his head, almost in deep thought. "Sometimes I wonder where my little Harley-girl will come into all of this…what part she'll play in this war."

"What do you mean?"

The light in the dark, demonic eyes turned soft. "Harley, Harley, Harley…always such a child, even when she was a doctor. You have no idea how long it took to crack through her. Perhaps she shall die in some sudden, inevitable way, never to reach the final fight between me and the Bat. Perhaps she'll just wake up one day and say fuck-it to everything and run off with that weedy-bitch she hangs around with. I wouldn't be surprised…'Red' pretty much enjoys keeping her from me. Too bad Harl won't let me go and pull the trigger on her." There was a rare sense of bitterness in the clown's voice. "But I digress. What-oh-what will happen to Harley when it's finally time to end it all? Perhaps I should just kill her before it happens. I'd let her go out painlessly…a quick shot to the head maybe…"

Hyde stared into the Joker's face, somewhat alarmed at the melancholy tenderness he saw being expressed on it. "You could just send her away," he suggested softly. "You could let her return to being the way she used to be."

The clown chuckled and Hyde took a step back nervously. "I could. But where's the fun in that? And perhaps…perhaps I've grown a bit fond of her after all this time. Kind of. But when all's said and done, she'll probably find a way to make it through. Clingy as she is, she's got a stubborn will to survive. She was always like that, even when we first met. She was always so desperate to find something to strive for…something to live for. What can I say? The brat won me over a bit. No, perhaps she'll be the final one standing in the end. Her path was never 'part of the plan'. She's managed to surpass all the expectations placed on her."

"So you care about her then?"

For a moment, just a moment, the Joker was not the figure that stood before him. A man stood there—a scarred, weary man that had been tossed around by the world one too many times. And then the man blinked and the clown had returned.

"You'd better finish that beer. I just might snatch it from you and drink it myself if you don't."

Dimly, Hyde lifted the can and downed the rest of the beer, watching the clown cautiously. The Joker adjusted his coat and stepped back into the main warehouse room, staring up at the overhead window above.

"Thanks for the beer, sir," Hyde said to him quietly, moving towards him but still keeping a good distance away.

"You deserved it. I'm thinking that you'll do just fine with us," The clown's eyes were focused on the moon. "Like Harley, you've exceeded some expectations. I'd say that we were pretty damned lucky to have picked you up."

"Sir, are you going to make Harley get up in the next few days? Because I suggest that it's probably a good idea not to move her for a while…you know, just to let the wound heal some more."

"Harley isn't going anywhere anytime soon," the clown replied. "In fact, I'd say that we can leave her home for our next little heist. It's a small one anyway and she won't be needed."

"A…Another heist, sir?"

The Joker grinned widely. "That's right. We're gonna go see old Johnny-boy. Have a bit of fun. That sort of stuff. Don't look so pale. I'll have you offing some other fellows some other time."

_More killing…oh Christ…_

"Y-yes, sir," Hyde replied.

For a while they just stood there, staring up at the crescent moon in silence, lost in their own private thoughts.

XxX

_**A/N—Sorry about the wait, everyone!**_

_**I was busy for Labor Day and couldn't get around to posting. **_

_**Stay put, there's more to come soon :)**_

_**-CAT**_


	10. The Bond

"We're seeing Crane?" Cutter raised an eyebrow and looked up at his boss. "Any particular reason?"

They were all crowded together in the clown's bedroom—a place that made all of them squirm awkwardly. Harley sat up in bed and regarded them with great interest, looking quite alert for someone who was still so weak.

"Gotta go make a bit of a trade, Cutter. We're low on weapons. Something tells me that Johnny might like a couple of bucks in exchange."

"How much?"

The Joker shrugged. "Twenty grand. Not too much, but just enough to get him to come around."

Poke twiddled his fingers in his hands. "What if that's too little for him? I'll bet Crane might decide to duke it out with us for a bit."

Another shrug. "It doesn't matter. Actually, it would be a lot more fun if he decided that it was time to fight. I've been craving for a little rumble lately…" The clown looked over at Hyde and smiled. "And with our new little badass medic with us, we've got the advantage."

Hyde swallowed and did not reply.

"I'm gonna come too, right?" Harley piped up, sitting up taller and smiling brightly. "Ya need me to help ya reason with Crane right, Puddin'?"

The Joker blinked and flashed a mean smirk. "I think you'll have to sit this one out, my pet. You're still too weak to go with us."

Harley's eyes widened and her hands clawed at the sheets in a desperate effort to look healthy. "I can go, Mr. J! I'm better now! You told me to get better soon and I did!"

"You were running a temperature early this morning, Harl. Methinks that you're still too wounded."

"But…But…" She gave Cutter a desperate glance.

"She needs someone to look after her, boss," Cutter said. "That means that someone has to stay behind."

"Huh. Forgot about that. Who wants to stay then?"

Hyde desperately wanted to raise his hand—not able to stomach the idea of going back to shooting and killing again.

"I'll stay with her," Cutter offered, giving the pouting Harley a warm look.

The clown shook his head. "We need you with us, Cutter. You're my second-in-command when Harley-girl isn't around. And Poke—I need you too for your gun and knife skills. Perhaps one of the cousins…"

"Rocco and Henshaw do better when they're together," Poke replied, glancing over at Hyde and sighing. "Why not just let the rookie stay behind? He deserves a breather for killing Bromley. Besides, he can keep on tending to Harley and make sure that she gets better."

Everyone stared at Poke, surprised at the twitchy man's sudden moment of rationality. The clown's dark-brown eyes flicked possessively over at Hyde and then back to Harley and then back to the others. He licked his lips and ran a hand through his hair.

"…Fine then. Looks like you'll have to wait a bit more before seeing some action, Hyde. You'll stay here and look after Harley."

Hyde's heart leapt in relief, glad to see that he was out of the woods for now. Of all the people he wanted to be grateful towards, Poke was the last one he had expected. But he gave his boss an affirming look and straightened himself up. "I'll do my best, sir."

"But I wanna goooo!" Harley wailed, squirming where she sat and reaching out towards the Joker. "Don't keep me cooped up here while you guys have all the fun! I wanna come too!"

The Joker lifted a hand and placed it firmly on the blonde's head, stroking her hair half-roughly, half-affectionately. "Too bad, kiddo. You're staying here."

Harley lowered her head and her lower lip quivered, trying her best not to start crying. Then she looked up into his war-painted face and finally nodded—basking him with the warm glow of love in her eyes. "Okay…" She leaned back and peeked over at Hyde, giving him a small, almost shy smile.

"Let's get going then," Cutter said at length. "It's going to take a while."

"Blah blah blah," the clown was swaggering forward, flicking his knife in his hands. "Fine then. We're off."

"When do you think you'll be back?" Hyde asked timidly.

Yet another shrug. "Oh, at twilight, at midnight, tomorrow morning. Who really knows? I was never one to plan this stuff out." He tossed back his head and gave Hyde a grin. "Take care of Harls. Don't you disappoint me."

"I won't."

The clown walked away, his coat swishing at the movement, and the others followed him.

Hyde and Harley were alone.

XxX

They spent the first few hours in silence; him tending to her healing wound and she sitting there apathetically, staring off into space. To his satisfaction, her temperature had dropped and she seemed a lot more at ease. For a while, they were content to just sit in the room and say nothing, both of them reading a book. The tranquility was interrupted later in the early-afternoon.

"This is boriiiing," Harley whined suddenly, shifting around in bed. "My legs are asleep from sitting here for so long."

"That's a shame. I don't think you're in a good enough condition to get up just yet though."

She chuckled. "There ya go soundin' just like my buddy Red again. She's always mothering me and pretending that I'm worse than I really am."

He raised an eyebrow with interest. "Your friend Red…she's the woman you're with when you're not with the Joker?"

The blonde nodded, suddenly perky. "They call her Poison Ivy. I met her a while back. She's probably my bestest friend in the whole wide world. She's got this long flowing red hair (which is why I call her Red) and this gorgeous curvy figure. But she's absolutely nuts over plants. She was doin' all kinds of experiments on herself to find a cure-all immunity to toxins and poisons. She eventually found a solution that worked, but it left her skin this really pale greenish-color and now her genetics are all messed up. She's a strange woman—keeps herself inside all the time, always tending to her greenhouse…Still, she's always been there to look out for me."

Hyde listened with great interest to the blonde's babble, noticing the way her cheeks were turning a bright pink color. "So then she's someone important to you outside the Joker?"

Harley cocked her head and then nodded. "I guess. I really _do_ love her a lot."

"So then you and her…?"

Her baby-blue eyes blinked and she turned an even pinker color. "Well…uh…I wouldn't say that…I mean, we're _friends_…but we…haven't done stuff like _that_. I mean…we've done some…stuff…but not to that…ah….extent…"

He wondered if she was lying.

Chewing on her lip, Harley leaned forward and rested her elbows on her crossed legs. "Anyway…can I at least get up to eat something? I mean, my wound isn't hurting all THAT badly. Come on, be a sport, huh?"

He stared at her nervously, wondering if he had it in him to say no to those round puppy-dog eyes.

_Stop staring at her. What's wrong with you? You're the one in charge right now. Just say no._

"How about I go bring some to you? That way you wouldn't have to move."

She pouted and swayed from side to side. "But I wanna moooove! This stinks! I'm sick of just vegging here with nothin' to do. Mr. J is probably having lots of fun without me." She crossed her arms and glared at him, making his knees feel weak.

"Listen," he said as gently as possible. "I'm not keeping you in bed because I _want_ to make you unhappy, but you have to give yourself some rest if you want to heal up. If you start moving around, you'll get yourself hurt again. You have to try to be patient and wait a little while longer." He gave her the nicest smile he could and hoped that he had successfully reached her.

She frowned and, to his surprise, leapt off the bed with a tremendous amount of speed, preforming a full flip as she landed in front of him. Her pigtails bobbed and she grinned at him smugly. "Looks like I'm strong enough," she said with an air of triumph. "Guess I'm really not as hurt as ya thou—"she winced and touched her wound, gasping slightly from the sudden pain.

He chuckled. "You see? Okay, so you're in better physical condition than I thought, but you're still pretty sore."

She grumbled and stood up straighter, not wanting to appear weak. "But I can stand. Yes, it still hurts, but I can get over it. Can we go downstairs now? Please?"

He sighed, tired of arguing with her. "Fine. Whatever. We'll go. But you have to tell me if you start feeling really sick, okay?"

She smiled and scampered drunkenly ahead, letting him follow her cautiously as they descended the staircase.

XxX

It turned out that there wasn't much to eat. But Harley had managed to find some slightly-stale bread and some peanut butter and jelly. She tugged at him and forced him to make one for her, sitting at the table and swinging her legs like a grade-schooler.

_I can't believe I'm doing this_ Hyde thought as he spread an extra amount of jelly on a slice of bread. _When did this turn into a daycare?_

He handed her the sandwich and started to make one for himself, watching as she munched contently.

"You're not gonna get killed off anytime soon, ya know," she said, getting jelly on her face. "Unless you're planning on running off on us, I'd say that ya got yourself a nice long life ahead of you."

"What makes you think that?"

"Mr. J likes you. That's an honor in of itself. Once Mr. J likes you, then you're destined for survival."

Hyde chuckled softly, shaking his head. "That's a bit odd coming from someone who was almost killed by a bullet."

She waved a hand dismissively. "What I mean is that you're valued here. You'll be appreciated for your skills." She cocked her head. "Why did ya get into this medical career anyway?"

He stared the butter-knife in his hands. "My mother had cancer. She got it when I was really young. So I wanted to become a doctor so that I could make her healthy again."

"Did ya do it?"

He shook his head. "She died when I was in college. She just couldn't hold on anymore. But I continued to pursue my dream and well, here I am…" he had to laugh at the irony.

Harley lowered her head. "My mother died when I was in college too…"

He blinked and looked at her, amazed to see an expression of sadness on her face. "I'm sorry."

She smiled and shook her head. "No…don't be. Mr. J says that I shouldn't care about it anymore. She wasn't worth it. She was…nothing." There was bitterness in her voice.

Hyde tore his glance away and went back to fixing his sandwich. "I thought that if you were once the Joker's shrink, you would be listening to _his_ family-relationships, not the other way around."

She giggled softly and rested her head against the table. "I tried at first. But that was back when I thought I knew all the answers. Mr. J became more than just a patient…he listened to me more than anyone else ever had."

"I'm so happy for you," Hyde replied in a voice that oozed with disdain. "Sounds like an ideal man."

"Don't ya have a special someone in your life, Hyde? Surely a suave guy like you has to have had one!" Her voice was teasing and he blushed slightly.

"I don't have any."

"Really? What a shame. Don't ya want someone?"

"I do, but it's complicated. I don't think I'm ready just yet." _Plus, I'm currently an accomplice of the fucking Joker_.

Harley sighed and continued to laze on top of the table. "I guess it takes time. Even if not everyone wants it, I think everyone should have someone to love. It gives us strength…makes us strong. It keeps us going."

"It also makes people do crazy things," he replied, hoping she would hear the reasoning in his voice. "Love is just as destructive as it is tender. It can be dangerous."

She shrugged. "You're just sayin' that because you've never had a special someone. But I know that it's the best thing there is in this cold, empty world…it kept me from losing hope…kept me warm."

He glanced at her again, feeling his heart flutter in his chest as he watched the way she seemed to curl up into a ball—comforting herself from some unknown darkness that hovered around her. Then she looked up at him and stared into his eyes. Hyde felt dizzy, seeing his reflection in the baby-blue irises and wondering what the aching tug at his heart meant.

Then she blinked and her face cracked into a wide smile. She began to laugh and he felt his face turning a deep shade of red. "Wh-what is it?"

She giggled furiously and pointed. "Ya got a smear of peanut butter on your cheek! Ya didn't even notice it!" She leaned back and shook in mirth, ignoring the pain from her wound.

Frantically, he wiped the smear off and attempted to look unruffled. "It isn't THAT funny."

She collapsed in another fit of laughter, continuing to point as her cheeks turned pink. "Ya looked so silly! Eee hee hee!"

He grumbled and tossed his half-made sandwich in the trash, having lost his appetite. Harley got up and wrapped an arm around him, leaning into him and still overcome with giggles. "Aw, don't look so mad! Ya need to get yourself a sense of humor." She nuzzled him and he almost fell in embarrassment.

"You're a handful. You really are. What am I going to do with you?"

"Ya can't do anythin'! I'm above ya in rank. Too bad!" She nudged him teasingly and he couldn't help but smile a bit.

Before he knew it, they were both laughing

XxX

Around ten-thirty, the Joker returned along with the others. They were all frowning and looking decidedly put-off.

Harley smiled at them from the couch. "How'd it go, Puddin'?"

"Crane changed locations," the clown replied gruffly, removing his coat and tossing it dejectedly across the room. "We couldn't find him."

"Aw, I'm sorry! Johnny is such a jerk!"

The scarred man said nothing and stomped up the stairs towards the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

"The boss was pissed," Poke said with a shrug. "We're going to have to find Crane some other time."

"And the next time I can come too!" Harley exclaimed gleefully.

"Where's Hyde?" Cutter asked, removing his jacket. "Isn't he with you?"

Harley grinned and pointed towards the tattered armchair in the corner. Hyde was asleep; his head resting against his hand. He looked at peace, like a tired schoolboy that had fallen asleep after a long night of studying.

"Want us to wake him up?" Rocco asked.

"Aw, leave him alone, guys," Harley said, looking over at the sleeping man with an expression of fondness. "Don't bother him. He's had a long day."

So they left him alone and Hyde was content for a long while to slumber and forget about his worries—chasing after a friendly-faced woman in his dreams.


	11. A little Reunion

Harley's bullet wound had almost fully healed within the next week. She moved around the warehouse at ease, smiling and behaving her same bubbly manner. Hyde found himself spending a lot of time with her, keeping an eye on her wound and associating with her more on a daily basis. Much as he hated to admit it, he felt that they were getting along pretty well—almost if something had clicked and had left them somehow closer.

He was even surprised to see that he had gotten used to the other henchmen, interacting with them calmly and with less fear than before. Taking away the fact that they murdered people at the Joker's orders, they really weren't _that_ bad…well, at least Cutter and the cousins weren't. Cutter had become a sort of companionable advisor for him whenever he was in a jam—aiding him and giving him all the advice he could offer. The cousins usually kept to themselves, but Hyde found that they could be pretty dependable if he ever needed clarity on the way things worked. But Poke still gave him the creeps and he did what he could to not be intimidated whenever he was around him.

As for the Joker…well, Hyde was relieved to see that he hadn't been killed off yet. It was just as Harley had said: the Joker wouldn't be killing him for a while. The thought gave him a sense of comfort and he found that it was easier to think a lot more clearly whenever he was in the clown's presence.

He wondered if the GCPD was searching for him—trying to figure out why he had been absent from work all this time. Hyde guessed that they probably had called the search off a while ago. He wondered if poor old Adam was suffering for it…having to do twice the amount of work and spending even less time with his wife and kid than before.

"Hyde, come over here for a moment. Have a look at my wound and tell me what ya think." Harley was sitting on top of a stack of boxes, smiling and motioning for his presence. Shaken free of his thoughts, he dutifully went to her and examined the wound, marveling at how healthy it was looking. They had removed the stitches and even though there was a small mark, it seemed fine for the most part.

"It's looking pretty good," he told her, smiling faintly. "You had a very smooth recovery."

"I'll say," Poke said, watching them. "That wound was pretty nasty. Good thing Harley is such a fast healer."

"More like good thing Hyde is such a good medic," Cutter replied, reading a slightly-ripped copy of The Gotham Times. "Harley, you need to be more careful. Hyde might not be able to help you the next time you get hurt."

"Oh, Hyde will _always_ be there to help me," Harley said fondly, linking her arm around Hyde's and smiling broadly. "Hyde's the best doctor we got." Hyde blushed and scratched his head, feeling awkward at the touch.

From above on the staircase, the Joker's white war-painted face loomed overhead, making them all pause and look up.

"If you girls are done flirting, we have work to do."

Harley immediately stood up straight—like a soldier preparing to salute a squadron leader. "Yes, Puddin'! What work are we doin'?"

The clown descended the stairway and touched the blonde woman tenderly on the cheek. "I was thinking that since we couldn't get a hold of Crane, we go visit another little friend of ours. You remember Perry, don't you? He's always had the lion's share of weapons. Plus, he owes me a little favor."

"I haven't seen ole Perry in a looong time, Mr. J! But it's true that he's got a bunch of weapons at his disposal. We should totally go pay him a visit." Harley began to hop up and down excitedly, shaking Hyde along with her all the while.

"That sounds like a good plan, sir," Hyde blurted out, desperate to keep himself on good terms with the clown. To his uneasiness, the Joker turned to him and frowned.

"I don't _plan_, Hyde. Planning is for schemers. We're doing this purely on a whim."

"O-of course, sir," Hyde stammered back. He still had a lot of learning to do.

"Don't make me have to correct you again," the scarred man said darkly, grinning as Hyde seemed to shrink back. "I wouldn't have to get angry at you after all the good things you've done for me so far."

Harley came forward and nuzzled up to the clown, giving him a tiny kiss on his painted face. "Aw, don't be so rough on our little rookie, Mr. J," she crooned, kissing him again. "He's still new to this after all."

The clown blinked at her, eyeing her sternly for a moment, then looking at Hyde with unmistakable warning. But then the clown's face softened and he spun Harley around in his arms, making her giggle with delight. "Alright, my pet. Daddy's sorry. Perhaps I was getting a little too antsy with him."

Hyde sighed quietly with relief and walked over to stand next to Cutter, hoping to dissolve into the background away from being noticed.

"Perry's been running from the GCPD for a long time, boss," Rocco piped up. "Where do you think he's at currently?"

"I heard that he was hiding somewhere around west-Gotham," Poke replied. "He's got this hooker-friend of his that he pals around with."

"She his lover?"

"Probably. Her name's Laurel. She hangs around some of the clubs in the area. Fine-looking woman…can't say I wouldn't want to have a go at her." Poke grinned to himself and licked his lips.

"We're getting off track here," Harley said in a slightly-disgusted voice. "We need to find Perry. Are we headed for west-Gotham then? I heard Batsy has been prowlin' around there lately."

The Joker's eyes seemed to light up instantly with excitement and he lurched forward, almost knocking poor Harley to the ground. "Well then we're definitely headed over there. I haven't seen dear old Batsy-boo in _such_ a long time. I do declare that we have more catching up to do than me and Perry!" He giggled and began rummaging through the wooden box that contained what was left of their weapons. "Go get ready, boys. You too, Harl. We don't have time to waste."

"I get to come too this time, Mr. J?" Harley's voice was squeaky with glee and she clapped her hands like a giddy child. "Really and truly?"

"Yes," the clown replied curtly, still digging through the box as Cutter and the others began to scramble around and get prepared. The clown glanced over at Hyde and smirked. "And our dear Hyde gets to come too. You'll finally get to see what it's like to go out on a little caper with me. Won't that be fun?"

"Um…s-sure, sir…" Hyde's belly gave a sudden uncomfortable tug and he knew that fun was the last thing this would be.

Harley scampered towards the stairway to get her war-paint and criminal outfit on, pulling Hyde along with her by the wrist. "Come on then! Let's get to it! This is gonna be great!"

The Joker watched them temporarily vanish and pulled out his signature knife, brandishing it with his coat and viewing his own reflection through the cold silver blade.

"Great indeed…" he said with a low chuckle.

XxX

"How are we supposed to find this Laurel-chick if hookers don't come out during the day?" Harley said hesitantly from the front seat. "I mean, if she's with Perry or knows where he's at, wouldn't it just make more sense to go and find her when it's nighttime and not the mid-afternoon?"

"Hush, Harley," the Joker growled from next to Hyde. The clown was leaning back with his eyes closed, having said very little on the ride to west-Gotham. "We don't need to hear you start whining. Poke, you know a lot more about Perry than the others. What club did you hear Laurel usually resides at? If I know Perry, I know that he'll probably be boozing with her there."

"Um, Puddin', nightclubs aren't open during the day…"

"Shut up, Harley. Well, Poke?"

"I hear she usually hangs around at this place called The Nilbog Rave."

"What the fuck is a 'Nilbog'?"

"I dunno. Fuckin' stupid name for a club if you ask me. But that's her usual place. You think she'd be there with Perry at this time of the day? I mean, Harley _does_ have sort of a point, boss."

The Joker frowned and Hyde suppressed the urge to shiver next to him. He hated seeing the clown frown like that. It made him nervous.

"We'll head over there anyway, boss," Cutter said gently, navigating the steering wheel. "Laurel might be there regardless of what time it is. From what Poke told us, she sounds like a woman who frankly doesn't give a shit."

"Ooh, language, Cutter," Harley giggled, looking eagerly out the window. Her bright baby-blue eyes grew wide and she pointed ahead. "I think I see it. Yup, there it is! The Nilbog Rave."

"Don't know why Laurel likes this dump so much," Henshaw said with a sniff. "It's damn near in the middle of nowhere. Wonder how it's managed to stay in business…"

"Better for us and for Perry I guess," the Joker replied. "At least we won't have to put up with those pesky GCPD-people."

With meticulous skill, Cutter drove the van slowly into the alleyway next to the club. He turned his head back to the clown and looked at him expectantly. "What now, boss? Do we just march in there? What do we do if Laurel and Perry aren't there?"

"We go in and find out first. We can figure out the little 'what-if' scenarios later. Come on, let's get this job done."

The doors of the van opened and they swiftly got out. Cutter handed Hyde a gun and put a hand on his shoulder. "There's not that many bullets left in there. Try not to waste them. We shoot only if we need to, got it? You guys heard me?"

Hyde and the others nodded, save for the clown and Harley who were too busy giggling like hyenas with excitement. One of Harley's arms was linked around the Joker's and she waved her knife in the air like an eager child with a pinwheel.

They made their way towards the front of the vulgar-looking building, glancing cautiously around in case anyone was watching them. It was Cutter that banged loudly on the door, alerting their presence. For a moment, there was no reply. Then, a small opening in the doorway opened and a pair of dark eyes greeted them.

"What the hell do you want? Club don't open 'till nine-thirty. Beat it."

"Now why would we want to do that?" The Joker asked playfully, coming forward and relishing the way the eyes seemed to widen with fear. "We just wanted to check a couple of things out. _Surely_ you aren't about to say no to me?"

"You…you're…"

"Oh good. You know me then. Well then, it's not polite to keep a man waiting." The clown licked his lips and tapped his foot with mock-impatience. "Are you going to let us in or do I need to get angry?"

"S-sure! Of course…"

The door opened and they were greeted with the stink of liquor and smoke; making all of them but the clown step back to avoid the fumes. The club was just as much of a dump on the inside as it was on the outside. Some of the chairs in the place had broken legs and were tilted off to a side. The main stage looked like something you would see in a horror movie: stained, tattered curtains, a messy floor, and a set of poles that looked like they were on their way towards toppling completely down.

"Charming place ya got here," Harley said to the man at the door. "Really high-quality."

"I agree, my pet," the Joker said, settling comfortably down on the least battered-looking chair. "It has a real _homey_ sort of charm to it."

Hyde crinkled his nose and stood beside the cousins, not wanting to breathe in the foul air that infested the place. Cutter and Poke were inspecting the tables, almost admiring the way they looked like they hadn't been cleaned in years.

"And what brings you here?" the man at the door asked the clown, shaking nervously. "How can I help?"

"We came to see an old pal of mine," the Joker replied lazily, playing with the knife in his hands. "A fellow named Perry. Poke here said that he had a hooker-friend named Laurel that hangs around here. Names ring a bell?"

"Laurel, huh? Actually, I think they're both here. There's a back room where they usually go off together. They sometimes spend the whole day in there. Hardy—the guy who owns this place—lets them both crash here. I know that Perry-guy is wanted by the GCPD for carrying a large collection of weapons. I'm thinking that it's the reason why Hardy is letting him stay…gives him some goods in case the cops ever show up, get me?"

"I got you. Where's this back room at?"

"You wanna talk to Perry? I don't know if you can right now. If he an' Laurel are in that room together and they haven't come out yet…well, I think something's…occupying their time, know what I'm saying?"

"Oh, _lovely_," Harley said, making a gagging motion. "But I'm afraid we're just going to go have a look anyway. Waiting around isn't our thing."

The Joker grinned in approval and looked over at the man, almost daring him to refuse. Instead, the poor fellow reluctantly gave in, rubbing his forehead and moving forward. "R-right then…follow me…"

He led them down a hallway near the main stage and pointed in the direction of a room on the far-right side. Then he stumbled off, not wanting to see what would happen. It was none of his business after all.

"Think Perry's in there?" Poke asked, gleefully peeking over the clown's shoulder.

"Let's find out…" The knob turned and the scarred man pushed the door open, raising his knife instinctively. Harley bristled beside him like a trained dog, ready for whatever problems might occur.

The lights came on and they all gasped. Perry was stretched naked over a woman on the floor—looking up at them in terror from in between her breasts. The woman (who was definitely Laurel) let out a screech and sat up.

"What the flying-fuck are you lot doing here? Perry, what the fuck is going on?"

The Joker bent over and grinned delightedly at the bewildered Perry, completely unperturbed that the other was fully naked. "Perry, you bastard! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!"

Perry blinked and sat up, sending Laurel to stand furiously in the corner of the room. "J? Is that really you? It's been a long time…"

"Looks like we interrupted your _quality time_," Harley giggled, nudging teasingly over at Hyde. "Sorry about that."

"Perry, what the hell are these freaks doing here?"

Harley glared at the woman, pointing her knife at her. "Mr. J isn't a freak. Don't get me pissed off, lady."

"Laurel," Perry said gently, motioning for the woman to calm down. "It's alright. These are some old friends of mine." The woman glared at him and crossed her arms.

"Looks like you've been living the part-life since you've been on the run," the clown remarked, chuckling softly. "You're looking surprisingly a great deal fatter. Been living well under Hardy's roof I see."

"What do you want, J? Why'd you come looking for me?"

The clown sighed and leaned against the wall. "We're low on weapons, Perry. Our bullets are almost out and all we'll have left are the knives. Much as I love knives, they don't do much when it comes to long-range stuff. You remember the little favor you still owe me? Well here it is: weapons."

Perry sighed and reached across the floor for what looked like his trousers. "How many do you need?"

The clown shrugged. "Beats me. A million-billlion. How's that?"

Laurel was smoking a cigarette in the background, sneering with animosity over at Harley. The blonde sneered back.

"No really, J. How many?"

"Feh. No sense of humor. Well, enough to last us a month or so. You know how _hard_ it's getting keeping a decent hideout. Gordon has his little cronies poking around 24/7. We need to protect ourselves, don't we?"

Perry laughed. "I think it just might be the other way around. But fine. I do owe you that favor and I'll give you what you need. I got a stash in the truck out back. If you'll send a couple of your men over, I'll be glad to give them to you."

"Glad to see that you're being agreeable," the Joker said with a nod. "You always struck me as a fellow that enjoyed disputing over getting things done."

Perry laughed again. "Hell, maybe I've grown up a little bit. We were quite the team, weren't we? Back in the olden days…" He stood up and put a shirt on. "Anyway, who's going to come get the weapons then?"

"Hm. Take Hyde here," the clown shoved Hyde forward.

"Fine then. Come on."

Hyde was led out of the room, exiting through a back door that led to a secluded lot outside. From across the room, Laurel still continued to pout, glaring at them.

"You must be Perry's main squeeze," Poke said snidely. "Is he your favorite customer?"

"Perry don't need to pay me," the woman replied harshly. "He's different."

"Oh, we could tell," Henshaw muttered impishly. "We saw everything."

"I bet you did, you pack of fucking perverted bastards."

"Perry must be very lucky," Rocco teased. "He's got a woman of such high quality. He really knows how to pick them."

"Must have really sampled all the women in the world to have chosen this one," Poke agreed. "In the end, she was truly the only one for him."

"I'll bet you never even _had_ a woman before. I'll bet your mother cut off your little man-part the moment you were born. She must have seen what a prick you'd grow up to be."

"Aw, put some clothes on, lady," Harley groaned. "I'm sick of seein' ya standing there all nude. I really don't wanna imagine where your body has been."

"You shut up! I don't need the Joker's bitch telling me what to do! You can go fuck yourself."

"Puddiiiin'! Did ya just here what she called me?"

"God," Cutter said, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to assuage the migraine that was coming on. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"


	12. Hard Going

Hyde timidly followed Perry through the vacant lot towards what looked like a large truck. When they reached the truck, Hyde couldn't help but cock his head and blink over at Perry, who smiled.

"If you're wondering, this is where I tend to store my goods. I've been driving this baby ever since they put a bounty on me. She's big and not too keen on turns, but she can move like a bat outta Hell when I put her in gear."

"I see…"

Hyde wondered what the extent of Perry's dangerousness was. The man was wanted by the GCPD and apparently was an ally to the Joker…that alone making him not someone to mess around with. But, like Cutter, he possessed a calm, almost rational complexity to him. He certainly hadn't blown up at them for barging in when he was having "playtime" with Laurel. Did that make him less dangerous then? Perhaps he was more like Harley—seemingly friendly, but dangerous when fully angered.

"So you're the new guy, huh?"

Hyde swallowed and nodded. "Y-yes. I'm sort of like the new team-doctor."

Perry chuckled. "You don't look much like Joker material. I'm guessing they picked you up and there was nothing you could do about it, am I right?"

"R-right!" Hyde answered, looking at Perry with amazement. "I was just a normal guy before they kidnapped me and forced me to join them. I didn't want to be a part of this…I _still_ don't."

Perry leaned towards the back of the truck, raising the door slightly. "So you're not much of an anarchist, are you? A shame. I personally think J is damn good at what he does."

"You've…known the Joker from a while back, right?"

"Yup. I was actually once part of his little band of henchmen. Back then, there were others on his side. We weren't as well-known as y'all are now, but we had lots of little capers together. Cutter was there…he was actually one of the first ones to join us. Poke came a few years later. Rocco and Henshaw came a year after that, I think. There were a few other guys—most of them killed-off at this point. J wasn't as eccentric as he is now, but the man certainly knew how to give us a hell of a good time."

"How'd you leave his team?" Hyde asked curiously.

Perry shrugged. "I just wanted out. Around the time I was thinking about leaving, J was getting too spooky. So I told him that I was done with it and he agreed. I was actually a bit worried that he'd kill me, but he let me go without so much as trying to. He just told me that I owed him a favor because of it. So that was that…spent a lot of years running around all over the place with my weapons. I met Hardy some time ago and he let me crash here in exchange for a few guns every now and then. Hardy's actually the one who introduced me to Laurel."

Hyde raised an eyebrow. "The prostitute?"

Perry laughed. "She's might be a whore, but she's got a hell of a personality. I think she's a bit in love with me, to be honest."

Perry raised the door and Hyde gasped. There were hundreds of boxes filled with guns. And not just that—there were explosives and flamethrowers and even a few machetes.

Perry smiled proudly and patted a box. "You like it? I've been collecting weapons ever since I was an adolescent. I started with only a few rifles and it just grew from there. Don't ask me why I started collecting…I don't really know. What I do know is that I got enough goods here to fuel a whole army if I wanted to."

Hyde nodded and stepped forward. "So…I think the Joker wanted lots of guns. What does he prefer?" He couldn't believe he was asking what the best guns would be for the Joker to use to kill people.

Perry lifted a box full of small hand-held guns and placed it in Hyde's trembling arms. "He tends to like 'em small but deadly. So these…also, he likes flamethrowers. So here we go…"

Hyde attempted to hold onto what he was given. Pretty soon, the boxes were stacked like a tower in his arms, making him squirm with discomfort.

"So I heard that the Joker's gang was spotted recently around east-Gotham. That and that Bromley got offed. Who pulled that off? Poke, I'm guessing, right?"

Hyde shook his head, almost cowering behind the boxes. "That was…me…"

Perry grinned and handed him another box. "No shit? Really? Christ, man! You may not look it, but you must have some serious balls. Offing Bromley…Jesus-please-us!"

"It was an accident," Hyde gurgled weakly. "I didn't know what I was doing."

"I'd still say that it was pretty bitchin'. Keep that shit up and you just might gain a little cult-following of your own. And speaking of that…how's the girl doing?"

"You mean Harley?"

"She's still with J, I see. I only met her once before. After she ran off and met that redhead friend of hers, I thought she and J were through. Looks like she still went back to him. The woman just doesn't know when to quit."

"She loves him very much," Hyde said, almost wistfully. "She loves him on so many dangerous levels. He's made her absolutely bonkers."

"He still keeps her with him though," Perry remarked. "I'll be damned if perhaps J finally found someone to care about. I mean, there's got to be a reason why she's survived as long has she has."

"Maybe…" Hyde didn't want to talk about it.

Perry blinked and smiled at him. "Heh, I didn't even notice how many boxes I piled you with. You okay, my man?"

"Y-yeah."

"Sorry 'bout that. J wanted lots of weapons though. This outta satisfy him for a while. There are plenty of guns and knives and a couple of explosives. You tell J that that's it for me. I gave him his favor. Next time, he's going to have to pay up if he wants any of my goods."

"Right."

Perry looked at him seriously for a second. "Hey, new-guy?"

"Yes?"

"You should always watch your back. This is hard-going. J can be a fair boss, but he can also be an unpredictable one. He might say one thing but mean something else completely. You gotta be smart and try not to get yourself killed."

Hyde gulped. _Not get myself killed? I've been thinking about trying to do that since day one!_

"I mean it though, new-guy. You screw up badly on him and you just might end up as dead as Bromley. It doesn't matter if you don't want to be part of his team—you have to fight to survive."

Hyde nodded quietly, digesting the words in his mind. He knew Perry was absolutely right. He had to keep struggling to make it through this. Perry wasn't really all that bad, regardless of his weapons-supply.

They both paused and looked up as they saw Cutter approaching them solemnly. "Need any help? The boss and the others are waiting and I wanted to speed things up."

"Yo, Cutter. Never got to give you a proper greeting. You're looking a lot older, fella. Has J been working you to the bone?"

"The boss is fine," Cutter replied, taking a couple of boxes from the grateful Hyde. "We're glad to have found you. We were running pretty low and I was just waiting for the boss to start getting grumpy because of it."

"Don't fuck around with J when he's grumpy," Perry said agreeably, lifting a few boxes and leading them back to the entrance.

They re-entered the back room and set the boxes down before the clown. Harley let out a happy squeal and tugged at the Joker's sleeves.

"Lookit, Puddin'! That's plenty of weapons. Isn't that great?"

The Joker licked his lips and nodded. "You did good, Perry. You didn't disappoint me a bit." He smoothed back a lock of his greasy hair and gestured with his knife at Laurel. "Your little lady-friend has been _so_ pleasant. It's not every day that a man listens to such eloquent vocabulary. She really knows how to dig her way into a man's heart."

Laurel glared at the clown and kept her arms crossed. "Piece of shit…"

"Ooh, flamethrowers," Poke murmured excitedly, inspecting a box and shivering with delight. "You went all-out for us, Perry."

"Just bein' a good Samaritan. One criminal to another."

"I'd say the real crime you committed was socializing with these freaks," Laurel remarked icily. "They're nothing but a bunch of monsters."

"Aw, shut up already!" Harley snarled. "Give it a rest!"

Cutter sighed and tapped the clown's shoulder. "Shouldn't we be leaving now, boss? We got what we wanted. We don't want to stay too long. The Bat or the GCPD could be watching for us."

The Joker blinked and nodded. "Fine. We'll get going then. Sorry to cut things so short, Perry, but Cutter is right. Mind you, I wouldn't mind it if some enemies showed up…I was in the mood for a little excitement after all. Oh well."

"Thank God!" Laurel muttered and Perry shushed her roughly.

"A shame you had to leave so soon, J," Perry said. "I was hoping to catch up on a few things. Perhaps we'll run into each other again sometime."

The clown grinned. "Yes. Perhaps we shall. As long as Gordon and his men don't catch you. Make sure they don't, Perry-boy. All those weapons would go to waste."

Perry laughed and nodded. "They ain't going to catch me. This old soldier has still got some fighting spirit in him. The day they catch me is the day I go out swinging."

"Don't," Laurel said in a rare gentle voice.

"We're off then," the clown said, turning away and stepping forward. Harley followed him, but not before sticking her tongue out at Laurel. Cutter, Poke, the cousins, and Hyde lifted the boxes and started out for the exit.

"New-guy," Perry called out to Hyde.

Hyde turned around and glanced back at the man. "Yes?"

"You remember what I said. Hard-going. You watch yourself and play it smart. Don't get offed. Some people aren't as nice as I am. You hear me?"

Hyde smiled soberly. "I hear you." He scrambled forward to catch up with the others, eager to not be left behind. Perry watched him leave and wrapped an arm around Laurel's waist.

"I do hope that fellow listens to me."

"Why'd you want to care about him for? He's part of their little freak-posse. Bunch of fucking weirdoes. I hope they get shot."

"You're always so compassionate aren't you, baby?" he nipped her ear playfully. "Anyway, I suppose that the little rookie sort of reminds me of myself a little bit. I can't help but feel for him a little."

Laurel was beginning to remove her clothes again, obviously eager to return to their love-fest. "You really never should have been labeled as a criminal, sweetheart. You're too soft. You just let that painted bastard come in and take some of your precious weapons."

Perry smiled and started to take off his trousers, leaning in to kiss her. "Perhaps I am a bit soft, my dear. But I wasn't about to refuse him. When J asks something of you, you do it or get you wind up with a bullet in your head."

"Mmm…that poor little new-guy. He might not stand a chance…"

"Maybe. But then again, maybe he just might…"


	13. Wonderwall

_**(Disclaimer-All lyrics used for this chapter do not belong to me. They belong to Oasis.)**_

Everyone seemed to be abuzz with satisfaction with the receiving of the new weapons. Poke constantly babbled about testing out the new flamethrowers and the cousins voiced their eagerness to test-fire a few of the guns.

Hyde was indifferent on the matter of weapons, but kept his mouth shut so as not to still appear as a reluctant-hostage in the scenario. He had taken Perry's advice and was now making a genuine attempt to play things cool for the sake of survival.

Now, sitting at the slightly-battered table where the others usually gathered to play cards, Hyde felt himself blending into the background. It helped him get adjusted to their presence and allowed him to react to them whenever he was noticed. For the most part, they didn't acknowledge him terribly much if he just sat there and stayed quiet.

Well…not counting for Harley and her stubborn refusal to leave him alone. She would sit next to him and prattle on endlessly about random topics that ranged from skiing to balloon-animals to children's cartoons to advanced physics. And because he could not bring himself to shoo her away, he would listen and find himself getting caught up in conversations with her.

Since their little visit with Perry, the Joker had remained strangely quiet. It seemed that something was troubling him. Whatever it was, Hyde did not want to get involved with it. If there was one thing he had learned, it was not to prod at the Joker. That was Harley and Cutter's job. Occasionally, Hyde would catch a glimpse of the blonde woman nuzzling up to the clown, trying in her own way to understand what the scarred man was feeling. But the clown would just stare blankly off into space and not respond to her.

It was a perplexing and an almost upsetting sight. Hyde couldn't help but feel a sliver of remorse for Harley being ignored so blatantly. In his perspective, Harley was the sort of person who needed constant attention from the one she loved. She needed someone to acknowledge her existence. But with the Joker's sudden moodiness, she seemed confused and almost lost; seeming even more childlike as a result. Hyde felt for her. He really did. Seeing her all bewildered and saddened like that-

"Hyde."

"Huh?" he blinked and shook his head. "Sorry, Cutter. I was spacing. What is it?"

"I was asking if you want to go for a round of poker. I just wiped out both of the cousins. You want to have a go at it?"

Hyde smiled. "No thanks. I'm not good at poker."

"I'll accept your challenge, Cutter," Poke said determinedly, shoving Hyde slightly. "I'm not too shabby at poker. After all, it's part of my name!" He grinned toothily.

Harley giggled and leaned back in her chair, winking at Hyde. "He'll lose. I'm the only one who can beat Cutter at poker."

"That's right," Rocco said with a chuckle. "You should have asked Harley, Cutter."

"The round is over too quickly with Harley," Cutter replied.

"I think Cutter lets me win," she whispered to Hyde. "He's worried I'll go nuts if I lose." She glanced up at the stairwell and sighed. "Mr. J is in a kind of a funk. I got no idea what's up with him. He seemed so thrilled to have some new weapons to play with and then he got all sullen on me. It's really disheartening."

"The boss is a man of many thoughts," Cutter said as he and Poke started playing. "You can't always understand what he is thinking, Harley."

Harley frowned and glanced up at the stairway again. "But I _want_ to know. Being all brooding and serious just doesn't become him. Something's up and I wanna know." She turned to Hyde again. "You get me, don't ya, Hyde?"

"Um, sure," he replied.

She nodded and cocked her head to the side, suddenly deep in thought. He wondered how much she was going to dwell on it. Knowing her, it would be for hours.

XxX

Cutter and the others had tired of their poker and had gone elsewhere. Hyde found that the warehouse could get eerily quiet whenever the others weren't around. Bored, he began to explore through some of the large wooden boxes that were stored around the facility. Most of them were filled with Styrofoam or just paper documents that had no meaning or value to him. For the most part, there was nothing particularly interesting about the boxes.

Then he found the guitar. It had been carefully stored in one of the less-noticeable boxes off to the side. Hyde had uttered a cry of surprise and delight when he had come across it. Perhaps this warehouse had been a sort of instrument-manufacturing building. The guitar was a bit dented and it was very dusty, but it still played in tune pretty well.

When he was younger, Hyde had fancied the notion of pursuing a career in music. While that dream had been replaced with his love for medical science, he had managed to learn how to play the guitar to a significant degree. He wasn't perfect at it, but he found that it was easy to do once he put his mind to it.

Now, bored and left to himself, he began to twang at the instrument lightly, enjoying the sound in the silence. For a while, he played nameless tunes...chords of melodies that he had once heard on the radio.

Then a song came to him—a song he had heard long ago. He hadn't heard it in years, but the lyrics still came to him even now. Strumming gently, he began to play. Though the notes came out a tad messy at first, they eventually began to form together and Hyde couldn't help singing along.

"_Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you…_"

His voice, though hushed and low, had a very nice resonance to it. It was a bit unpracticed, but the talent was there. He continued.

"_By now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do…_"

His singing was better the second time. It sounded a lot more confident. The chords on the guitar were matching pretty nicely to the tune.

"_I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now…_"

"Whoa…"

Hyde's eyes widened and he jerked his head up towards the one who had spoken. The voice belonged to Harley. She stepped out of the shadows, pigtails bobbing and wearing a blue tank-top, and walked over to him.

"I…um…I was just…" his throat felt dry and he nervously began to put the guitar away. "I was just…"

"You were playing it really well," Harley said in a voice full of some silent admiration. "I heard that song somewhere before."

"I'm sorry. I was just looking around and I found this in one of the boxes. I didn't mean—"

"Aw, don't get all nervous on me. I ain't mad at ya. I actually thought you played and sang pretty well. I would never have guessed that ya knew how to play the guitar." She grinned at him widely, making his face feel very hot.

"Um…well I learned how to play when I was around fourteen. I didn't do anything with it though."

"Ya still sound pretty good though," she said, still beaming. "What was that song you were playing?"

He looked blankly at the guitar in his hands. "I can't really remember. I used to love it though." He looked at her again, suddenly feeling incredibly shy.

_But why? Why am I feeling shy? Have I not gotten used to her by now?_

Harley crossed her arms and giggled to herself. "Who'd have ever thought—our little medic has a talent with music. Hee hee…"

"Ah…well…"

She crouched down next to him and scooted to his side. "Hey," she murmured softly. "Why don't ya keep playing that song? I liked it a lot and ya didn't get that far into it."

"I…I might not remember all the lyrics," he said, listening to the loud thumping of his heart in his chest. "So I might skip a couple of verses."

She gave him a pat on the back that almost knocked him over. "I don't mind. Just go for it!"

So he started again, trying his best not to miss any notes. Her presence was really making it hard for him to concentrate. Still, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on playing. Timidly, he began to sing again.

"_And all the roads we have to walk along are winding…And all the lights that lead us there are blinding…There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know how…"_

Harley closed her eyes as well, almost leaning against him while he played. It was almost unreal. For a moment, they weren't two members of the Joker's gang. They were just two young adults listening to the sounds of an old guitar. Hyde felt himself quivering on the inside, taking in the sight of Harley's state of tranquility. Her face looked so relaxed and calm…strangely composed and deep in thought. It was a strangely pleasing sight for him and he felt his voice grow even stronger than before.

"_Because maybe…You're gonna be the one who saves me…And after all…you're my Wonderwall_…"

He suddenly felt very dizzy. It was truly perplexing. The combination of Harley's expression and the easy flow of the music and lyrics had suddenly made him feel dazed. His cheeks were red and his heart thundered just as loudly as the strumming of the guitar. Eventually, the music faded away.

Harley opened her eyes and smiled at him gently. "You gonna keep going?"

"I don't really remember the rest," he lied, trying very hard not to meet her gaze.

She shrugged. "Then just play what you do remember. Come on, Hyde. You can do it…"

"I'm really not as good at this as you think I am," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "After all, I'm a man of medical-science."

Her baby-blue eyes glittered. "_I_ think that you do just fine."

He couldn't refuse her when she was speaking to him so nicely. Part of him wondered why she was so desperate to hear him play. Perhaps she just wanted to hear something soothing—something to take her mind off of the Joker for once in her life.

So, swallowing up his bashfulness, he continued. For a long while, they sat there and simply listened to the music. And all the while, Hyde's eyes kept going back to her face, gazing at her with something quite like affection.

"_Said maybe…you're gonna be the one that saves me_…"

XxX

The Joker sat in bed, frowning and staring dejectedly into space. Harley was humming and reading what appeared to be a gossip magazine. The two of them were quiet—save for Harley's humming—and did not appear to be paying attention to the other. Hyde, Cutter, and the others had gone to bed hours ago and were now asleep on their cots downstairs.

The clown glanced out the window, staring briefly at the moon in the distance. Harley gently placed the magazine down and scooted in next to him, nuzzling his face with her cheek.

"Perhaps we should go to bed now, Puddin'. We got another big day tomorrow."

The clown said nothing.

Harley wrapped an arm around his neck and pecked him lightly on the cheek. "Really, Mr. J. Night-night time. The others are asleep and so we should go to sleep too."

The clown licked his lips and regarded the blonde expressionlessly. It was as if she were talking to a giant stone. Harley let out a sigh and tried again for the third time to get a response out of her lover.

"What's the matter, Puddin'? You've been so serious lately. I'm getting worried about ya." She pecked him on the cheek again. "Can't ya just tell me what's wrong?"

The Joker glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "You really want to know, Harl?"

She nodded eagerly. "Oh yes, Mr. J! I do!"

He smiled a bit, amused by the ferventness of her enthusiasm. "Really and truly? You really, really want to know?"

She hopped up and down excitedly. "Of course! I'd love to! I'm always ready to hear you're problems, Mr. J."

He licked his lips again. "I've been thinking lately…"

She cocked her head. "Thinkin' about what, Puddin'?"

His eyes hardened. "About the Batman."

She rolled her eyes. "_Again_, Mr. J? Is Batsy what's been troubling ya all this time?"

He nodded sullenly, staring out the window. "We haven't seen much of him lately. I'm starting to wonder if he's forgotten all about us…perhaps he now has bigger fight to fry."

She leaned close to him. "Is this all because of the fact that we didn't see him when we were at Perry's part of town?"

"He should have been there," the clown said gruffly. "I'm starting to think he's trying to avoid us."

"That's because he knows how strong and powerful ya are," she murmured, nibbling his ear. "He's probably afraid of ya."

He grunted and gently shoved her off him. "OR perhaps he's trying to make me lose interest…yes, that must be it. He must be avoiding me so that I'll crack and end up doing something stupid in order to try to get his attention."

Harley frowned and tugged at him. "Mr. J…maybe it's time ya stopped thinkin' about the Bat. Maybe it's time to starting thinking about the future."

He turned to her, his face suddenly serious. "What are you talking about?"

She clutched at the fabric of his clothing, staring intently into his eyes with something like desperation. "Perhaps we should just take a little break from Batsy…start doing something else…we could go away with the boys and start a nice little family of our own. We could go elsewhere and start everything over again…we'd could conquer wherever and whoever we wanted to, Puddin'."

He blinked at her. "You mean…forget about the Batman?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah! We could go and take over another city across the country…start raising a family together and spend the rest of our days together. It would be so great! We could—"

Her words were abruptly cut off when his fist collided with her face. She fell off the bed and yelped, looking up at her lover with pain and confusion as he loomed over her. His breathing was ragged and he looked quite enraged.

"P-Puddin'?" She squeaked, rubbing her now-blackening eye. "Wha-what's—"

"_Idiot_!" he screeched, snarling at her. "Are you really _that_ stupid to suggest such a thing? Forget about the Batman? Have you not learned ANYTHING about what I value?" He aimed a kick at her, making her whimper.

"Bu-But, Mr. J, if we d-did that w-we could—"

He kicked her again, sending her tumbling back against the wall. She looked up at him, cowering before his presence, terrified of the fire in his eyes.

"The Batman and I are made to keep fighting," he hissed at her. "We're supposed to do this forever until one of us dies."

She attempted to give him a sheepish smile, cradling herself with her arms. "But, Mr. J, w-we can't k-k-keep doing this forever…y-you might end up getting k-killed in the end!"

His face turned grim and he towered over her, continuing to glare at her with those fiery dark-brown eyes. "Looks like you still haven't learned enough about me, my dear." His hands were balled into fists and he began to raise them.

Her eyes widened and she started to scoot away. "No, Puddin'…no…Puddin'…please…"

"You've got to learn your lesson, Harl," he told her quietly, coming for her slowly. "Daddy has to teach you a lesson."

"No…Puddin'….no…"

He advanced even closer, making her squirm towards the door. She swallowed and began reaching for the knob of the door, trembling furiously.

XxX

Hyde had been sleeping downstairs on his designated cot with the others when he had heard Harley's cries. They had risen up from upstairs and he had jerked awake, hearing them in the darkness. The sound of crashing and growling could be heard as well, intensifying his fear.

"NO, PUDDIN'! NO! NO NO NO!"

_Harley_! All at once, he felt his heart beat faster in his chest, making his eyes widen and his throat turn dry. Quickly, he dashed out of bed, making a frantic sprint towards the door and out of the room, not caring that he was naked from the waist-up. He made his way into the large main room of the warehouse and looked around nervously in the darkness.

And then he saw her.

She was limping towards the main entrance, wearing her crimson coat and hunching her shoulders. Her back was to him and she appeared to be having great difficulty hobbling forward. Her breathing was uneven and she sounded as if she were in great pain.

"Harley?"

She paused and turned weakly, making him gasp. Her right eye was swollen shit and the side of her face was bruised. There was a cut on her shoulder and a growing red mark just under it. He blinked at him with her good eye, almost seeing straight through him.

"Harley…what happened?" he came forward, not caring about the consequences. "You're hurt. Did he…?"

She swallowed and backed away from him. "It's…nothing…"

He frowned, attempting to come closer. "Don't lie to me! You look really bad. That eye of yours is swollen shut! Let me help you." He tried to keep his words soothing in an attempt to assuage the battered look in her eyes.

"Don't need…any help," she said softly. She moved closer towards the door.

"But where are you going? Are you…leaving?" _That_ would be horrible. Some part of him couldn't bear the thought of her leaving.

She smiled sadly, completely apathetic to the pain of her black-eye. "I'm only going for a teeny-weenie bit. You'll be alright without me."

He lurched forward and touched her arm, making her flinch. "No I won't! I will _not _ be alright without you. It's _Hell_ without you here, Harley!" It WAS. Without Harley, who would he talk with and relate to? Who would actually sit next to him and listen as he played a guitar or wrap their arms around him and tease him playfully? Without Harley, he would just be a reluctant henchman to the Joker—trapped here without any enjoyable company.

"Mr. J and I need some time apart for a little bit," Harley said in a breathless voice, looking down at where his hand gripped her. "We got to work a couple of things out."

"Please stay," he pleaded softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help you. I'll patch you up and make sure that he doesn't touch you again. I swear it. Just…please…stay with me."

Her left baby-blue eye was confused. "You really want me to stay?"

He nodded; his Adam's-apple bobbing. "I'll do whatever it takes to help you. Please, Harley. Let me just…"

Before he could finish, she leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek, making him freeze. Her lips were warm and soft and he turned a bright shade of pink. She smiled at him sadly again, gently releasing herself from his grip and beginning to back away.

"You're a real sweetie, Hyde," she said softly. "You've got a heart of gold. But I can't stay. I have to go for a little while. But you'll be okay. You got your head on your shoulders. Me…I gotta go and think for a little bit…"

"Harley," he whispered, still feeling slightly dazed from the kiss he had received. "Harley…please…"

She waved at him as she opened the entrance. "You'll be fine, Hyde. Guys like you always do okay in the end."

"Harleen," he pleaded one last time, using her full name. He reached out pathetically. "Harleen…"

"Goodbye, Charlie," she whispered, stepping out and shutting the entrance behind her.

XxX

_**A/N—Hey all you gals and guys! Hoped you enjoyed this chapter!**_

_**Now, while the title of the story is called Shadow of the Day, I feel that this chapter's song—Wonderwall by Oasis for those of you who haven't heard it—is really the heart of Harley and Hyde's relationship. Whenever I listen to it, it reminds me of what's going on between them. I dunno, just consider it to be their main theme, lol.**_

_**It is always important to remember at just where the Joker values things. He's got this weird obsessive sort-of love for the Batman and not even Harley can take that away from him. As a result, Harley still does not completely understand just how much the Batman means to the Joker. **_

_**Where then, you ask, does Harley rank in terms of what the Joker feels for her? I'd say that he DOES have a lot of affection and (dare I say) love for her. In his own way at least. But he's still abusive as hell and is perfectly willing to twist her up and make her suffer if he feels the need to. Compare that to Harley and Hyde's growing companionable relationship in which they are beginning to empathize and feel for each other. Harley sees Hyde as a good friend and does indeed have some affection for him. But the Joker is still her main true love and she loves him more.**_

_**Anyway, things start getting more complex from here. Harley is taking a short break to go receive some nurturing from Ivy and the Joker has mayhem and action on the brain. Don't worry though; there will be plenty of fluffiness to follow once they're reunited. I guarantee it! :)**_

_**Keep reading, folks! It's not over yet!**_

_**-CAT**_


	14. Father

Hyde sat sluggishly atop one of the large wooden warehouse boxes, sighing and rubbing his temples.

It had been a day since Harley had left and already he could feel himself despairing. The Joker had shut himself up in his room and had not reemerged for the whole day. Part of Hyde was curious as to what the clown could possibly be doing up there, but the other part of him decided that he did not really want to know. Instead, he distanced himself from the others; staring gloomily at the entrance of the building and lost in his thoughts.

"_I can't stay. I have to go for a little while."_

"_Harleen…"_

"_You'll be fine, Hyde. Guys like you always do okay in the end..."_

"Hey," said a low voice, making him raise his head. Cutter had come over and had sat down next to him, staring up at the moon through the glass window above them.

"Hello, Cutter," Hyde replied quietly.

"You've been looking down all day," the older man stated, pointing at Hyde's face. "You're upset about something."

Hyde sighed and closed his eyes. "Yes, I suppose I am."

"It's because Harley is gone, yes?"

"How did you know?"

Cutter smiled. "I could tell. The boss, if you couldn't tell already, is perturbed as well. That's why we haven't seen him."

"I don't suppose he's _too_ perturbed," Hyde said with an angry hiss. "After all, _he's_ the one who drove her away. He hurt her."

Cutter glanced at Hyde with his gray eyes, staring at him with seriousness. "This hasn't been the first time. He's done it several times in the past."

Hyde glared. "You mean when he shoved her out a _fucking window_? I know all about that. I saw it on the news. She almost _died_."

Cutter turned to face the opposite direction, gazing into the darkness. "I couldn't get there in time to stop the boss. It was already too late."

"Cutter, he _shoved her out a window_. She could have been killed. And he…he hurts her all the time!" Hyde scowled and shook his head. "Why am I even telling you this? You don't even care. You're the Joker's main man. You wouldn't care if she had gotten killed. You'd just—"

"Be quiet," the older man growled, making Hyde flinch. Hearing such anger in Cutter's voice was not normal. "You're young. You're still learning about the world. You have no idea about the truth of it all."

Hyde, though momentarily shaken by the tone in the older man's voice, regained his confidence and stood his ground. "I think I know plenty enough! All this time, you just stand by and let him hurt her. You seem like her friend, but in the end she's really nothing to you."

Cutter looked at Hyde for a moment and then gave him a rough shove, almost knocking him off his feet. "I said to be _quiet_, Hyde," He turned away again.

For a long while, Cutter said nothing, simply looking off into the distance. Then his shoulders drooped and it seemed like he was shaking. A muffled noise issued from his throat-almost like a moan. He seemed to hunch back as he raised his hand to his face. He was…_crying_.

Hyde's eyes widened. He had never seen Cutter cry before. No one had. "Cutter…?"

The older man turned slightly, wiping his face and giving Hyde a melancholy smile. "My daughter…my Ellie…"

Hyde blinked. "Your daughter?"

"She was as cute as a button. My little button…that's what I used to call her. God, she was so young! She had only just turned _five_…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I couldn't take care of her properly," Cutter went on, lost in his memories. "Her mom wasn't there…I didn't know how to support us. I was forty—too old to go back to school. I was stupid. I got myself caught up with thugs just so I could scramble some easy money together. I hated doing it, but I had to. And then she started getting sick…" Cutter's eyebrows creased and he seemed to be struggling being able to keep himself composed. "When she died, I had nowhere else to turn. The thugs I was running with wouldn't leave me alone. The boss was the one who saved me when I was in a real jam. So for years, I was simply content to do whatever he asked of me. Seven years of sweat and killing—all for him."

Hyde cocked his head and stared, astonished to hear this massive confession. He had known how Harley had come to join the Joker's crew, but not about Cutter.

"Then Harley came into the picture…and, well, I liked her. She started out with such spunk and level-headedness. She made me feel almost young again."

Hyde's heart quivered slightly when he saw the lines that appeared on the older man's face. He looked tired, weary after so many years of anarchy and chaos. "You have to understand, I don't enjoy seeing her being hurt all the time. Whenever I see it, it makes my blood boil. I care about the boss and I'm willing to follow him to the very end, but watching him hurt the woman who loves him brings me much pain."

"Then why don't you do anything about it?"

Cutter's eyebrow rose. "And why don't _you_? I know that you've come to grow fond of her. I can tell. But the truth is that neither of us can do anything. Not unless we want to get ourselves slaughtered. So we stay back with our heads down and hold in our protesting while she cries out in pain."

"So then you _do _care about her then?"

Cutter was staring up at the moon again. "I once told you that there were two reasons why I'm here. One of them was because I wanted to repay the boss for helping me when I needed it. The other reason…is because of her."

Hyde swallowed, feeling his eyes grow very large.

"Even if I cannot do anything to help Harley, I stay because…because…I need to look after her. After she had become part of the team, she had turned so childlike—so fragile. Her level-headedness had been replaced with clinginess and immaturity. But that was what made me love her even more."

_Love?_

"You mean…?"

"I cherished her presence, did everything I could to try to guide her. Not a day has passed since I've wanted to take her in my arms and raise her as my own…the daughter I had never had. I know how much she loves the boss and I know that she'll probably keep loving the boss until the day she dies. All the same, I do what I can to give her advice, hoping that she finds the love she is searching for in the end. I'm old now…forty-eight. My daughter died years ago and I had been foolish. I never thought I would be able to love and care for something ever again. But Harley…Harley is…"

His words trailed off and Hyde stared at him with pity, hearing the sadness in his voice. This man, this poor, worn-out man, did not deserve to be chided. He did not deserve to be where he was now.

"Cutter…"

He reached over and put a hand on Cutter's shoulder, hoping that the long-suffering henchman would recognize his understanding. Cutter placed his hand on Hyde's and smiled bitterly again, trying to shut the bad thoughts away.

"The point is…I care about Harley. I don't want to see her in pain or see her suffer. I made a vow to watch over her until the last breath leaves my body."

"What will happen if he actually kills her one day?"

"He won't," Cutter replied. "In spite of his occasional cruelty, the boss _does_ care about her. Even when he had pushed her out the window, I could tell that he was secretly worried about her. I think in his own way, he feels the need to look after her too—he just keeps it all bottled up inside and is rough with her because he's not used to such emotions."

"But what if he really _does_ kill her? What would you do?"

Cutter stared into his eyes. "I suppose I'll have lost everything then," he replied softly. He turned and started to walk away, leaving the befuddled Hyde behind.

Hyde watched him until he was out of sight and stood there in silence for a long time, staring through a bleary warehouse window.

"_The other reason…is because of her…"_

Outside, it was beginning to snow.

XxX

_**A/N—Yo, guys! Just another little note from me.**_

_**Of all the OC's I've written in my time, Cutter is definitely my favorite. I really do love him 3**_

_**As the title of this chapter suggests, there is indeed a paternal, fatherly relationship going on between Cutter and Harley. It's interesting to focus on this because he really does sort of see himself as her surrogate father. For those of y'all who read Until We Bleed, Harley never really had a dad. It was one of the things that allowed the Joker to see through and get under her skin.**_

_**In the course of these story-arcs, Harley has four people that she cares about more than anything else—Joker, Ivy, Cutter, and Hyde. They each represent a different role for her. Ivy is a combo of best friend, semi-romantic love-interest, sister, and surrogate mother. Hyde is a combo of good buddy, brother, and love-interest.**_

_**As for Joker and Cutter, things get more complex. While Cutter is not a love interest in Harley's eyes, he IS a father-figure to her. And so is the Joker. It is interesting to note that they are potential fathers to her, but both represent a different aspect of father-daughter dynamics. Joker is more of the domineering-type—often commanding her and punishing her when he sees fit. Despite this, he also shows signs of fatherly indulgence whenever he acts affectionate towards her. Cutter is more of the ideal father-figure: gentle, nurturing, and doing what he can to give her good advice. He cares about her a great deal and hates seeing her suffer. Ultimately, he just wants her to be happy in the end.**_

_**So yeah…I gotta stop rambling or we'll be here all day, lol.**_

_**Keep reading! There's more to come soon.**_

_**-CAT**_


	15. Fragments

It was not the same without Harley here.

Everything was so much quieter…so less friendly and companionable. Following the night of Hyde's discussion with Cutter, everyone was acting distant towards each other. Well, save for the cousins, who were always together and would whisper to each other in the silence while the rest of them sat idly at the table. Hyde had played several quiet rounds of poker with Cutter and Poke, not really even paying attention the entire time.

Hyde just kept on thinking about Harley, wondering what she was doing, where she was going. The thought of the poor thing wandering the streets—all hurt and sad and despairing and crying those sweet baby-blue eyes red and—

_Stop it_, he told himself. _What the hell is wrong with you? Stop thinking about her. She's fine. Otherwise, she would have come back._

He wondered why it was always Harley that his thoughts always focused on. He remembered her face clearly in his mind—her friendly smile whenever she looked at him, that peach-pink skin that looked so soft and pretty in the light. He remembered her sitting next to him that one evening when he had dug out the guitar—her scent…the way she had almost snuggled into him as he had sang for her…

_Cut it out, damnit. STOP._

He shook his head, trying not to think of her, and stared back at the cards in his hand. He could feel Cutter's eyes watching him. Cutter was probably even worse than he was. At night, the older man would just lay there in his bunk, staring at the ceiling with an expression of sadness.

"Your move, Cutter," Poke muttered, sensing the unhappiness, but not saying anything. For once, Poke actually appeared to be calm and considerably less-creepy—almost understanding.

Cutter stared at the cards on the table. "I'm out," he said, throwing his cards down. "Sorry, Poke. I'm not feeling myself today."

"_None_ of us are," Henshaw piped up from across the room. "Not since…well, you know."

"The boss has been hiding upstairs for days," Rocco mused, blinking overhead. "He must be pretty upset."

Poke sniffed and scratched the side of his face, leaning back in his chair. "It's so _boring_ here. Usually, the boss is so much fun. But now…everyone just sits around and does nothing. I haven't gotten to burn anything in days…"

"Don't get all whiny," Henshaw said. "You can't rush the boss when he's in one of his little moods. He's always going to be unpredictable."

"Yeah," agreed Rocco.

The five of them stared up the stairs towards the clown's private room.

"What do you think he's even doing up there?"

"Probably either sleeping or moping."

"The boss doesn't mope! He's not a wimpy teenager, you know."

"Yeah, Rocco's right. The boss doesn't mope. He's just going through a little funk, that's all. He'll come around soon."

Cutter sat at his place at the table and said nothing. Hyde looked over at him, creasing his eyebrows with concern. But Cutter gave him an "I'm fine" wave and stood up.

"Let's stop talking about this. What matters is that we need to stay alert for when he's ready to do something. Action or no action, we're still his henchmen and we need to be ready and willing to help at any moment."

Hyde swallowed and nodded. "Yes, Cutter is right. We need to just be patient. Like Henshaw says, the boss will come around soon. Just stay optimistic."

Poke glanced at him admiringly. "Well well…looks like our little Hyde has finally turned into quite a loyal speaker. I've never heard you sound so hopeful."

Hyde smiled nervously at the wild-haired man. "I'm just tired of sitting around her feeling sorry for myself. We're in this together and we should keep everything stable."

"_Harley_ kept us stable," Rocco said softly. "She was the one who always took control in this kind of situation."

"Once," Henshaw told Hyde. "When the boss had gotten really hurt in a fight with the Bat, Harley had made sure that we were kept doing stuff. She saw to it that we didn't start fighting each other."

"Our little trooping Harley," Poke murmured fondly. "What a gal…"

"What a gal," Hyde repeated. "Yeah…"

His thoughts turned to her again and his heart fluttered.

XxX

The Joker glared at the bloody copy of the Gotham Times in his hands and growled low in his throat. He had a damned migraine and felt mean enough to breathe fire.

His little harlequin had fled again—just as she had so many other times in the past. She'd probably gone back to that weed, that red-headed bitch that she hung around with. Part of him wanted to just go over there and waste the bitch, but the other part of him reminded himself that if her friend was ever harmed, he would lose Harley permanently in the process.

Harley…that little pain in the ass. _She _was the reason why he was in such a bad mood lately. Now he had to worry about both the Batman _and_ her. God, it made him angry.

_Who even needs the chick? Why not just let her never come back? Who really even cares? Clingy little minx—if I see her again, I'll spank her little bottom so hard she'll be wanting to die. Heh._

He wasn't feeling all that good. He had discovered some pills in the cupboard near the bathroom and, out of sheer curiosity, had taken two. Now, sitting here with the newspaper in his hands, he felt a little dizzy.

_They were probably some sort of psychiatric pills_ he thought to himself, remembering how Harley had brought them along with her. _Feh. That idiot hates Arkham so much, but she still brings some of her prescribed pills along with her just to enjoy the buzz every now and then. The moron._

But now he was the moron for actually swallowing two of them. His world was beginning to feel really spinny and he licked his lips as colors faded in and out.

Blinking, something else was appearing before him—a memory of some long-forgotten event from long ago. He had felt the same way once when he had first been holding Harley hostage. It had happened the night he had went out and come back with a fever. He remembered how much Harley had cradled him and expressed her worry for his health.

Except now he wasn't seeing Harley. It was another woman—blonde, but without those round baby-blue eyes. This woman had brown eyes that were a gentle chocolate color. Her body was full and supple and her stomach was large and round…pregnant with child.

"_Why are you crying, Jack?"_

"_I'm such a failure, Jeannie. I can't support you. I'm a bum." _

"_That's not true and you know it." Her voice is soft, soothing._

"_You and junior are going to starve to death if I don't find a job soon_," _his voice, young and pathetic and desperate._ _"It's all my fault. You had to get engaged to such a loser. You'd be better off without me."_

"_Hush," she whispers, smoothing back his then-light-brown hair. "I love you, dear. I don't regret anything. We're going to make it through this."_

"_It would have just been better if you had gone and married a famous doctor or lawyer. You wouldn't have had to suffer through all this bullshit. Oh Jeannie…Oh Jeannie…what are going to do?" _

_He feels her warm hands embracing his face, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead. She is whispering in his ear, calming his pounding heart._

"_We're going to stay positive. We'll find the money."_

"_But how? What is my son going to think of me when he's older and he sees that his father is just a worthless bum with no money?"_

"_You son will love you because you're his Daddy, regardless of your financial situation. And as for the money, we'll just have to keep trying for it. You're just going through a bad streak, that's all. We can do this, Jack. We just have to try for it…"_

_Gunshots, gunshots in the night. He runs frantically back to their apartment, screaming when he sees her corpse sprawled out in the hallway. Her soft brown eyes are open and glassy, almost staring at him accusingly. Her stomach—the stomach that once contained his living child—is now riddled with bullet-holes. _

"_J-Jen…no…no…OH GOD NO!"_

_Snickering. He turns to see them standing over him. Them—the horrible gang that he had hung around with for the money. They are all leering at him with their ugly horse-faces, chuckling at his pain._

"_It's only what you deserve, Jacky-boy. A little thanks for fucking up that robbery stint we pulled the other day."_

_His mouth quivers and then his heart fills with rage, running at them and howling with anger. One of them whips out a knife. Before he knows it, the blade flashes and he is on the ground, yowling in pain. The sides of his face are bleeding._

_It's all a joke. It's all a joke…_

The Joker blinked, trying to focus on the world that was swaying around him. The woman's face was disappearing, fading like fog.

Who…_was_ she? He knew her from before. It was like some half-forgotten lullaby or dream. A dream that had turned into a horrible nightmare.

Grabbing hold of the edge of the drawer next to the bed, he was starting to feel a bit more stable. His eyes focused and the dizziness was going away. Her face—the half-forgotten woman—was going away as well.

Blinking again, his eyes returned to the Gotham Times Newspaper. In the midst of the now-focusing colors in his vision, one article in particular caught his eye. It was a tiny article—almost unnoticeable.

**Jonathan Crane AKA Scarecrow Spotted in Lower West Gotham**

Lower-west Gotham…Why, that was HIS territory! So THAT'S where old Crane had been—invading the area of Gotham that belonged to him!

This wouldn't do. No, not at all. He was not about to let that happen. Perhaps it was time to go remind Crane the "rules" of the little treaty they formed.

The Joker shakily got to his feet and raced out the door, gathering his henchmen together for his cause.

For the time being, Harley and the woman were forgotten.


	16. Winter

"You're shaking from sitting over there, Harl," the red-haired woman was saying to her. "There's a draft. Come over here and sit where it's warmer."

For a few days, Harley had returned to her. She had come in the night—bruised and injured like usual. Her eye was swollen shut and Ivy had almost shrieked at the sight of it. It was the damned clown's doing again.

From across the room, Harley got up and joined her friend on the sofa, timidly relaxing into her side.

Ivy was starting to wonder how long this was going to go on. This had been happening for months now. The clown abused Harley, Harley came to her, she'd fix her up and give her some affection, and then the blonde would just go back to him again.

It was frustrating, maddening. It was like one big, unending game of tug-o-war. Ivy tried, _tried_ to get Harley to see things her way. But the blonde just wouldn't budge. For the time being, Ivy was just glad that she was with her and not with the clown.

"You're looking greener than ever, Red," the blonde said, smiling and using the old pet-name. "Have you been experimenting on yourself again? I thought you already found toxin-immunity and stuff."

Ivy blushed slightly. "I'm not _green_, Harley. The use of the serum just…paled me a bit. That's all."

Harley smiled again, this time mischievously. "You know what I've been hearing?"

"What?"

"I've been hearing rumors that there's someone that's been breaking into the Gotham Botanical Gardens every other night to steal some rare plants. Pretty funny, huh?"

Ivy swallowed. Harley was really much smarter than she sometimes let on. "Well that's interesting. I suppose that person must have a really good reason for doing so."

"Yeah. OR she's just a really big fan of plants."

Ivy turned away and flipped on the television. "Oh, hush. Stop being dumb. Watch your cartoons or something."

Harley grinned and happily complied, letting Ivy get up and walk towards the kitchen area.

With the blonde distracted, it allowed her to cover up the rare plants.

XxX

Ivy was glad Harley had come to her when she had. Winter was arriving and it was getting colder outside. Back with the clown, Harley would probably be left to face the cold in forced silence—unable to say or do anything that could bring herself some comfort.

Here, beside her under the warmth of the blankets, Ivy huddled with the blonde and slept in the darkness with the moon's silver light shining through the window. Harley was clinging to her in her sleep; her arms wrapped around Ivy's like a drowning woman clinging to a rope or floatation device.

Outside, snow was falling slowly in the background. It was a soothing sight for the eyes. Ivy had never much cared for winter—since it was when all the plants in Gotham died—but she had to admit that it was nice looking at the snow fall.

Harley muttered something in her sleep, letting out a low whimper and flinching. Ivy looked down at her gently and stroked her hair, quieting her once more.

During the day, they would spend sometime in the greenhouse preparing the plants for the winter. Then they would perhaps take a walk or watch television or something. Harley's eye was healing quite quickly. Ivy attributed it to the bit of the perfected immunity-serum that she had given her. Luckily enough for Harley, she hadn't paled. But she was certainly healing a lot faster now these days.

"Wow," Harley exclaimed in the mid-afternoon when they were taking a stroll around outside. "Look at all the frost on the ground! I'll bet Gotham'll be waist-deep with snow before ya know it!"

"Probably. Winter can be such a pain like that."

Harley giggled and listened to the noises of her feet crunching on the snow on the ground. "Ha ha! I love that noise. I remember liking it even when I was a little kid."

Poor Harley didn't realize that in a way, she still _was_ a little kid. A little kid that was too naïve to notice how much it pained Ivy to see her suffer, a little kid too stubborn to notice the physical pain of her own body as her lover hurt her.

Ivy sighed and wrapped her scarf tightly around her face, strolling forward past the gleeful Harley. "I'll bet you don't see much of this when you're with _him_. After all, he's more in the city-district where there's less snow to be had."

Harley cocked her head thoughtfully and shrugged. She didn't want to talk about her Puddin's flaws at this very moment. She continued to crunch through the frost, smiling at Ivy brightly. Seeing the red-haired woman chuckle a little, she went towards Ivy and nuzzled her tenderly. "I really missed ya, Red."

Ivy frowned as she felt the blonde snuggle up to her, wondering if Harley was just acting sweet to change the subject. Regardless, she submitted to the woman's affection and rolled her eyes. "That's what you say every time you come here. 'I miss you'. You're like a broken record."

"I really _did_ miss ya, Red," Harley said fervently, continuing to nuzzle as Ivy stood there getting uncomfortable from the cold. "When Mr. J gets into one of his little moods, the boys get all nervous and quiet. They're not much fun or anything." Then she tilted her head slightly. "Well, maybe not all of them. I made me a new friend. His name's Hyde and he's a real sweetheart. You should meet him sometime, Red."

"Maybe you won't be around during that 'sometime'," Ivy said grimly, looking at Harley like a stern parent. "Maybe you'll get yourself killed." Her jungle-green eyes fixed hard on Harley's own baby-blue, trying to see if the blonde understood what she meant.

Harley bit her lip and finally moved away from Ivy, staring sullenly into the distance. Ivy's eyes traced her frame, regarding her healing black-eye with pity. Specks of snow began to fall from the sky, sprinkling onto Harley's hair as the blonde gazed despondently at the city in the distance.

"I'm not going to get myself killed, Red," she finally said at length. "Mr. J just…gets angry sometimes. It isn't his fault. It's the Bat. He's the cause of everything."

"He didn't cause that black-eye."

Harley frowned at her and her shoulders drooped. The two women stood there for a while in silence, both unable to speak what they felt. Harley's knees were shivering and she exhaled loudly in the cold, still contemplating the city in the distance.

"You don't have to go back to him," Ivy murmured softly. "You could stay here. Or maybe we could run off together…to Florida or California or something. We could say that we're sisters. I could get a job as a gardener or something and you can go back to being a psychiatrist. We'd never have to some back to Gotham again. We'd just live together—as sisters. We…we could do that, Harl. You know we could."

Harley blinked at her and her face softened, noticing how her friend's voice was wavering with something quite like pleading as she had spoken. She gave Ivy a sad smile and went over towards her, patting her on the shoulder. "That would be…a lot of work, Red."

Ivy looked gloomily down at the frosty ground. "You won't consider it, will you? As long as you love _him_, it'll never happen."

Harley leaned forward and touched her friend's shoulder. "I love you, Red. I really do. Really and truly."

"But you'll still go back to him in the end, won't you?" Ivy tried not to sound so bitter. "Because you love him more."

Harley let out a low whimper of confirmation, wrapped her arm around Ivy's and leaned against her; hoping Ivy didn't notice how tears were beginning to well up from her eyes and stain Ivy's jacket. She closed her eyes as she rested her head against Ivy's shoulder, feeling so lost and hurt and desperate for comfort. She could smell some of the flowers from the garden on the woman—a comforting smell. "Let's just go in for now," she replied in a whisper. "I'm cold."

Ivy sensed the woman's sadness and closed her mouth, letting Harley cling onto her as they started to make their way back towards the house. She looked at the now-sniffling blonde with maternal affection, cherishing her weight against her. Once inside, she took off Harley's jacket for her and replaced it with a blanket, guiding her towards the couch.

"I'll make us some soup," she said softly, settling the blonde in. "You sit tight, okay."

"Okay," Harley replied brokenly.

Ivy looked at her and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead to let her know that it was alright. She just couldn't stay mad at Harley with the blonde looking so utterly wretched. Harley almost flinched back at the kiss, and then submitted to it, letting out low mewling sounds.

"Red—I'm…"

"Shhh…hush now," the red-head replied. "It's okay. I'm not mad. Just hush and sit there nice and quiet, alright?"

"Right…"

Ivy stood up and moved towards the kitchen area, getting ready to prepare the soup.

"Hey, Red?"

Ivy turned to see the blonde peeking over at her from across the living room. "Yes?"

"I think I'll stay here a couple more days…just in case the Bat is prowling around. That okay with you?"

Ivy smiled. "Of course. Of course it is, dear."


	17. A Departure and an Arrival

In the backseat, Hyde was shivering. A rifle was clutched in his arms and he grimaced at the smell of gunpowder that filled the van.

Rocco and Henshaw sat on both sides of him, glancing at each other every now and then with a look of nervousness. Poke sat near the window and was shivering too—but out of excitement instead of fright.

"Turn over here," the clown ordered the steering Cutter from the front seat. "Johnny's cronies are of the messy variety. I'm thinking that they've left us some clues scattered around the alleyways. Look! There's one now!"

The van skidded off to the side and the Joker hopped out and rushed into the shadows of an alleyway, making them all follow him. The air was cold and Hyde could see his own breath.

They stopped when the Joker turned to them with a body in his arms and they all inhaled sharply. The fellow had died with a face full of fear, his tongue hanging from his mouth and his eyes wide and open and glassy. His mouth seemed to be upturned into an expression of utter terror.

"Geez," Rocco moaned softly as Henshaw put a hand on his shoulder.

"You see?" The clown said excitedly, tossing the body down. "Just what I thought. Crane's around here somewhere. This poor bloke's just _screamed_ it to us."

"But where do you think he'd be at, boss?" Cutter asked, cocking his gun. "Do you think this fellow was one of his henchmen that he grew dissatisfied with?"

"I'd say he was a rogue that tried to take them on," Poke said thoughtfully. "He's not wearing some of the usual attire I see Crane's men in. Poor kid must have stuck his nose in too thick and got fear-gassed."

The clown nodded and poked the body with his foot, making Hyde suppress a gag. "That's a valid point, Pokey. No matter, we're going to keep looking. I don't care how long it takes. With it starting to snow, Crane's going to be harder to track. Let's keep going."

Hyde shuddered at the body and tipped his head towards the sky. How long was this going to go on? How much longer was he going to do this henchman-stuff?

And, more importantly, who was he going to have to kill when the time came?

XxX

Ivy awoke from a drowsy slumber in the mid-afternoon, amazed that she had actually slept that long. She supposed the snow outside made her sleepy.

"Harl?"

Stretching, she noticed yawned and got up, examining herself in the mirror briefly before making her way into the living room.

It was also at that moment her heart sank in her chest.

The blonde was only inches away from the door; a bag hanging off her shoulder and her baby-blue eyes wide with nervousness.

"Harley…?"

"Um…Heya, Red…"

Ivy frowned and crossed her arms, knowing very well what her friend was doing.

Harley waved her hands around desperately, trying not to look so childishly surprised. "I'm, ah…erhm…I…"

"You're going, aren't you?" the red-haired woman's voice was soft, filled with a kind of low sadness that made remorse well up in Harley's heart. "You've healed up enough now and so you're going back to him."

"Red…I'm sorry. I just…"

Ivy went over and wrapped her arms around Harley, pinning her close. "You never learn, do you? You just keep doing the same thing all over again."

Harley blushed and hugged Ivy back. "I _have_ to, Red."

"You won't stay. Not even if I were to beg you. Not even if I'd whisk you away to some other city where it would be safe." Her voice sounded flat, depressing.

Harley swallowed. "Red…I'm sorry…"

Ivy's heart was thumping loudly in her chest and she suddenly released the woman, backing away and turning her head. "Just…don't. Don't apologize. Do whatever you want."

"Red…"

Ivy moved farther away. "It's alright. I'm not mad. Just…do what you need to do. I'm serious, Harley."

Harley blinked at her and gave her a sad smile, walking over and touching her friend on the cheek. "It's not forever, Red. I'll be back soon."

"Yes…I suppose you will…"

"I mean it."

"Right."

Harley leaned over and kissed Ivy's cheek timidly, hoping to thaw the ice that was creeping within her friend. "I promise, Red. I'll see you soon. You're my bestest pal in the whole wide world."

Ivy's expression softened and the blonde drew away, turning and heading for the door.

"Harley?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me something else?"

"Yes, Red?"

"Come back soon. When winter's over, maybe I'll take you to the beach."

"That'll be fun, Red."

"Harley?"

"Uh huh?"

"Make sure you eat while you're there. You're always coming back looking so thin and wispy."

"I'll try, Red."

Ivy swallowed and called back one last time. "Harley?"

"Yes? What is it?"

The pale woman blushed. "Be careful."

The blonde blinked and nodded. "I will."

And the door closed and Ivy was all alone again, left to stare gloomily into the background in the middle of an empty house.

"Hold out…" her lips murmured. "Hold out, my sweet…"

XxX

"Crane's been really letting this area of town go," Rocco remarked as they passed through an area riddled with bullet-markings.

"At least the boss tries to keep a low profile," Henshaw agreed. "This place is practically screaming for the Bat to show up."

"What's the Scarecrow like?" Hyde asked aloud, still shivering slightly.

Poke giggled. "Like a demon wearing a sack over his head. He was a bit like you, Hyde—learned in the ways of medical-stuff. Of course, he's nothing like the boss. The boss puts him to shame."

"Does he really have that Fear Toxin they talk about on the news? Like, does it really show you what you fear?"

"Yuppers. It really exists and it really works. Crane's a whiz at making toxins and stuff. That's why he sometimes works the drug trade. We were _supposed_ to be consenting to a truce, but Crane stepped out of line when he started taking over this area."

Hyde gulped and scratched the back of his head with discomfort. Next to the Joker, the Scarecrow was the last person he had ever wanted to encounter.

"Don't look so distressed," Rocco said cheerfully. "Crane'll be nothing. With the boss with us, we'll be fine. Nobody fucks around with the boss."

"Yeah," said Henshaw with a nod. "If Crane tries to take us out, we'll beat him in a heartbeat. No sweat. We've done it before."

"But we're down a helper," Poke remarked and they all frowned, knowing very well whom he was referring to.

"Shut up, Poke," Cutter growled from the front seat. "We don't need to hear that. Besides, we have Hyde with us now. That means that we have a medic on hand if we need him. Am I right, Hyde?"

"R-right…"

"The lot of you shut up," the clown said, jerking his head out the window excitedly. "I think we're where we need to be…"

"Boss?"

Without warning, the Joker scrambled out of the van again, tipping his head over his shoulder. "Ready your weapons," he called out with a wide grin. "Something tells me ole Johnny's hiding out around here."

They complied with his orders without uttering another word and Hyde felt his skip a beat.

_Here it comes…here it comes…_


	18. Panic and Pandemonium

The man they had nabbed was bleeding profusely from the stomach, coughing up blood as he groaned on the ground.

"Ah tut-tut," The Joker murmured, nudging him roughly with his foot. "Don't be dying on us just yet, my man. You got to tell us where your boss is at first."

"He'll kill you all," the man gurgled out, spewing blood from his mouth. "You—you won't stand a chance…"

Hyde squirmed uncomfortably, not liking what he was hearing. Maybe the fellow was right. And if the Joker and the others weren't killed, he probably would be. After all, he had never faced as big a criminal as The Scarecrow. It spelled bad news all over the place.

"Aw, shut up with that," Poke replied, giving the man a small kick to the ribs. "Where's Crane? Come on, we know you know. Spill it already, huh?"

"No need to," The Joker replied suddenly, a wide smirk stretched on his face. "Looks like he's already here…"

Hyde's heart nearly turned to ice in his chest as he saw what looked like Crane and several large, armed men coming forward from out of the shadows. Half-panicked, he hid behind Rocco and Henshaw, hearing his own heart thump loudly in his chest as he heard them cock their guns.

"For shame, Joker, coming into my new territory and making a mess. That isn't very nice."

The clown grinned and whipped out his knife. "Hello, Crane-buddy…"

Hyde blinked when he caught sight of the man before them. He was thin and ropy and had a large, terrifyingly spooky sack over his head. His eyes stared that them through the eyeholes and it was enough to make him want to howl with terror. This was the Scarecrow.

"Don't look so frightened," Cutter whispered next to Hyde. "Crane gets off on that. Stand your ground and keep your weapon raised. We cannot let him think we're afraid."

Crane blinked from behind his mask and so did the rest of his men, staring in Hyde's direction. "I see you got yourself a new little devotee. But it appears that your little Harlequin is not with you…did you need to find a replacement?" Hyde could have sworn that he was grinning behind the mask.

"Hush," The Joker hissed roughly, flicking his knife in his hands. "I'm not here for some childish gossip, Crane. You've stepped out of line after we made a truce. We agreed that we would not live as enemies as long as you remembered whose territory was whose. And now you've gone and claimed this area as your own when you _know_ that it belongs to me. Not too bright, Johnny. Not too bright at all…"

Crane laughed and his men did as well. "I thought you were the one who said that you enjoyed things more when they didn't go according to plan?"

The clown's teeth gritted back into an angry grin and he leered at the man as if he were some sort of predatory animal stalking a potential kill.

"You've got some nerve being all cheeky to the boss," Henshaw said bravely, raising his gun. "If I do recall, you were at his mercy the last time we met. It was there you made the promise that you'd know your place as long as he let you live. Have you not heard of honor among thieves? Or in this case, honor among criminals?"

"Yeah!" Rocco agreed, backing up his cousin. "The boss might not always honor the wishes of regular Gothamites, but he's willing to be fair towards people like you. You know that you're not as strong or as powerful as he is, even if you have more men at your disposal. So get out of here before the boss cuts you to ribbons."

Crane laughed again. "I'd say that you all should have been prepared for this. This is my territory now. Unless you are perfectly willing to die for it, I'd suggest that you leave now. You're in no position to threaten us, especially after killing one of my men." He tapped the now-dead man on the floor with his foot and his followers tensed around him, taking out their weapons slowly.

_This is BAD_, Hyde thought to himself frantically. _This is really, really bad!_ He didn't want to die, not here, not now. He had been through too much to just die here at the hands of Crane. And since these men were on a different level of skill in being murderous criminals than him, he didn't really stand a chance.

"One final warning, Johnny-boy," the Joker said softly. "One more warning from me to just walk away and leave this area. Otherwise, I will not hold back. And neither will my boys."

"Your warnings are mud," Crane hissed. "Besides, without your little clown-girl, you're even less of a threat to me. If at any, YOU should be the one leaving."

"_Crane_…."

The thin man's eyes glowed eerily in the darkness. "We're not going anywhere, clown. We're going to have ourselves some fun. We can teach your new guy what it means to be afraid."

Hyde let out a shriek as a symphony of gunfire rang out down the alleyway. He ducked and made a feeble attempt to fire his weapon, hitting one man in the leg. Rocco and Henshaw had charged forward, firing their guns in unison and knocking several of Crane's men to the ground with their large, burly bodies. Poke ducked behind the trashcan next to Hyde, craning his head and firing when he could.

As for Cutter and the Joker, they were already going straight for Crane; Cutter taking out men with his rifle and the clown slashing flesh left and right as the enemies kept moving in. Crane had sneakily, disappeared suddenly in the commotion and had left his men to fight without him.

"Fuck," Poke hissed beside Hyde. "Where'd he go? He's always doing that—slipping off and hiding in the shadows before striking." He got to his feet and pulled the trembling Hyde up with him. "Come on! Cutter and the boss are swarmed over there! We need to get them out of this jam!"

Before Hyde could protest, Poke had dragged him in on the action, forcing him to fire his gun in several different directions. Blood flew in the air and Hyde did whatever he could not to kill his opponents. He had killed a man once; he did not want to go that far again. He simply aims for the shoulders, arms, and legs, sending a couple of men toppling to the ground in pain. Rocco and Henshaw charged forward again, joining in on the action by Cutter's side as they took out several men.

The Joker seemed to be in his own little world. He was able to strike quicker than Crane's men and was snarling like some sort of wild beast. He kept slashing anyone who came near him, not flinching for a moment. Even when he was shot squarely in the arm, he did not stop fighting. Blood ran from the wound, but he simply kept doing what he did, as if he were utterly oblivious to it.

Suddenly, Crane's figure appeared out of the shadows and he fired a blast of some sort of strange gas in the Joker's direction, ultimately hitting Poke instead.

"Poke!" Cutter cried out, grunting as a bullet grazed his shoulder blade. "Poke! Oh man, this is bad…"

Hyde was the first who was able to break away from the pandemonium and get Poke back behind the trashcans. Crane had disappeared again in the shadows, but Hyde could not think about that now. He needed to figure out what the gas had done to Poke, though he could already guess what it had been.

On the ground, Poke twitch and his eyes widened with fear. He wasn't seeing Hyde leaning over him, looking down at him with concern. He saw his mother—her eyes empty open sockets and her mouth upturned into a wide, sinister grin.

"_Want to have some fun with me, Sylvester?"_ she asked in the same, ugly voice she had used to use when he was a child. _"We'll have lots of fun…you, me, and your dear little sister. It'll be great…a real HELL of a time!"_

Poke squirmed on the ground as he saw her opening a lighter and moving it in the direction of his face—the same way she had used to in the past. He belt his bladder crawl and his lip quivered and he shrunk back.

"N-no, Mama…no…"

"_We'll have lots of fun. And after you receive your punishment, you and your naughty little sister can go back to the closet and be good little children while Mama and Mr. Walker enjoy themselves. But now, you have to receive your punishment. It's what you deserve…"_ The lighter—now one giant, horrible black flame, inched closer towards his face and he screamed as he could practically feel it about to burn his skin.

"NO! MAMA! NO, PLEASE! I'LL BE GOOD! SYLVESTER WILL BE VERY GOOD! MAMA, NO!"

"Poke! Hey, Poke! Snap out of it! Come on!" Hyde shook Poke frantically, trying to knock him out of this hellish hallucination. He knew that Crane had fired his infamous Fear Toxin. But they needed Poke's help. In the direction of the violence, Cutter, the cousins, and the Joker were getting really injured.

"NO! MAMA! NO! NONONONONONO!"

"Come on! It's not real! Whatever it is, it's a hallucination! Come on, Poke! Please!" He didn't know what to do. He might have been a medic, but he had no idea how to cure Fear Toxin. He had heard that it supposedly wore off on its own, but they didn't have the time for that.

"Hyde!" Cutter yelled in the background as blood speckled his cheek. "Hyde! We need some help here! Hyde!"

Hyde bit his lip, feeling lost and terrified all at the same time. They would die here, oh yes they would. He would die with them—a criminal and a killer of a man. This truly was Hell.

His blood curdled as he heard soft, spine-chilling laughter from behind him. Crane's laughter. Hyde whirled around and raised his gun, ready to fire, when Crane's foot kicked the weapon out of his hand, sending it flying a few feet away.

"Nope. Sorry, pal. No dice." The man with the terrifying sack over his face leaned forward, taking out a gun of his own. "It's a shame to see such a bright young face obliterated on the spot like yours will. But, if you want, you can always come join me. After all, I don't think that these poor fellows will last much longer." Crane lowered his weapon slightly and offered a hand. "Would you care to accept my invitation? Trust me when I say that it is better than perishing here. I'm planning on letting loose a whole bunch of Fear Toxin onto your comrades. So what do you say?"

Hyde blinked and stared back at the injured, still-fighting men in the background, then down at the whimpering Poke beside him. There was a knife in his pocket…not yet used…

Hyde's heart thudded loudly in his chest as he spoke barely above a whisper. "No…"

"Hm? What was that?"

In a flash, Hyde had snatched Poke's knife and pointed it towards Crane, glaring boldly. "I said no! I'm not going to join a sicko like you! It was bad enough joining up with the Joker! I'm not going to join you and I'm not going to die here! I'm with them and only them! I made a promise."

Crane's eyes were confused for a moment and Hyde felt himself instantly regretting his words as the masked man raised his gun at him again. "Wrong answer, my friend."

_Damnit! Now I'm going to die! It's all over!_ He had never imagined it would end like this—that his last words had been him declaring his loyalty to the Joker and his men. Hyde swallowed and closed his eyes, ready for the gun to be fired and for his world to go black.

But before Crane could fire, he was kicked to the ground by a sudden crimson blur.

"Oh no ya don't, Johnny! Ya ain't gonna hurt Charlie on my watch!"

Hyde's eyes snapped open and his jaw dropped with amazement. In the background, the fighting had paused as well. Hyde felt his heart leapt giddily in his chest as his face broke into a wide smile.

Harley Quinn stood over him, grinning and looking quite ready for some action.

"It's you…" Crane murmured on the ground, nursing himself. His mask was off and his face was filled with a combination of fear and bewilderment. "Quinzel…you're here…"

"Ya better believe it, Johnny," Harley replied, pulling Hyde back to his feet. "I came back to help my Puddin'!"

"Harl," The wounded Joker breathed softly. "You're here…my dearest pet."

"G-get her!" Crane screeched loudly at his men. "Don't let her beat you!"

Harley's grin widened and she gave Hyde a thumbs-up. "Looks like I made it just in time for the fun stuff! Look alive, Hyde! It's Showtime!"

XxX

_**A/N—Hey, everyone!**_

_**I'm really, REALLY sorry for the wait. I've been trying to deal with midterms and I couldn't get around to updating. Heck, I'm STILL trying to deal with midterms, lol.**_

_**Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter out quicker. Just be patient my beautiful people~**_

_**More to come soon!**_

_**-CAT**_


	19. And the Fight Goes On

About six burly men charged forward and Hyde let out a yelp as Harley grabbed him and Poke and shoved them off to the side.

"Watch yourselves, you two!" she cried out before sprinting forward and ramming her fists into Crane's goons.

In the background, the others seemed to have forgotten about their previous weariness. The cousins were back to using their strength to work together, Cutter was back to hurling bodies all over the place, and the Joker had whipped out another knife and had gone back to slashing. It was as if the very presence of Harley had rekindled their ferocity and power.

Hyde felt his heart thundering as he pulled Poke close to him and fired his gun. Poke shuddered and blinked as several men fell to the ground in pain. It seemed that the wild-haired man was finally starting to come to his senses, though he was still trembling slightly. Hyde managed to get him to his feet and handed him the gun, snapping his fingers in front of his eyes.

"You got to snap out of it! Harley needs our help! Come on, Poke!"

A sliver of understanding crept into Poke's fear-stricken gaze and he finally nodded and clutched at his gun in affirmation. "R-right."

Hyde ran near Harley, ready to fight for her if it meant making sure that she didn't get hurt. If he could help her take down some more of Crane's men, perhaps he could get over towards the others to try to start half-treating their wounds.

Harley aimed several high kicks at Crane's men, knocking several out in a row like dominos. She giggled and grinned over at Hyde. "I'm glad that I managed to make it over here in time," she squeaked out as she socked a goon squarely in the jaw. "Looks like you guys were in a heap of trouble."

Hyde managed to get close enough to the point where he was back-to-back with her. He aimed his gun and fired at a few more men and hitting them in the arm. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you," he murmured. "We've needed you in more ways than one, Harley."

"It's good to be back, Charlie," she replied with a huge smirk, fighting and talking to him at the same time as if this was nothing more than a casual conversation. "I was staying with a friend. Looks like good ole Johnny-boy has been upgrading his men considerably—there's more of them than there ever was before! How you guys managed to still be alive is a miracle!"

In the midst of delivering a blow, she looked over at the clown. He looked up towards her and their eyes met one another's—her soft baby-blue to his savage dark-brown. Her face flushed behind the white war-paint as he gave her a quick nod: all was forgiven. Her insides flooding with joy, she managed to take down three goons at once, letting out an elated crow while doing it.

Hyde clicked his gun and realized dimly that he was out of bullets. Several goons came forward and he cried out as Harley whirled around and knocked them away.

"Harley," Cutter called out. "Behind you!"

Harley turned just in time to see a goon behind her with what looked like an axe and kicked the sharp object away. Cutter bounded forward and fired his weapon, knocking the goon down and falling in beside Harley and Hyde.

"Hey, Cutter," Harley greeted him happily. "You okay? Ya look pretty bad. Heck, _all _of ya look pretty bad."

"I'm alright for now," Cutter replied. "The boss got hurt though. Shot in the arm. Rocco and Henshaw are both nursing some wounds as well. If you hadn't shown up, we might have gotten killed."

"We're not out of the woods yet though," Hyde said bravely while reloading his weapon. "Here come some more."

The three of them prepared to attack as an onslaught of goons charged towards them, feeling their hearts flutter with relief as the now-recovered Poke took out several with his gun.

"Nice job, Pokey!" Harley shrieked, clapping her hands childishly. "Ya deserve all the credit ya get for being called our best gunman."

Rocco and Henshaw managed to scramble forward, dragging the Joker along with them.

"Puddin'…" Harley breathed softly, reaching out and touching his purple blood-stained coat.

"My pet," the clown crooned, absent-mindedly firing his gun at a goon without even having to look. "We're so glad you managed to show up."

She giggled and nuzzled up to him. "You're hurt, Mr. J. Maybe you should sit the rest of this one out. They're starting to dwindle. You can let me and the boys take care of the rest of this."

"Hush," came the reply in a gruff voice as the Joker made another lazy fire. "I think I'm doing just fine."

Harley giggled again and nodded as they all huddled back together side-by-side, raising their weapons and ready for all hell to break loose. They were bombarded with the last cluster of goons and they all broke into one giant attack.

Hyde felt himself firing blindly through the violence as goons toppled to the ground all around him. His head felt hot and his throat felt dry, but he managed to take several men out. And, to his relief, he had managed to do so without killing a single one. The killing came from Cutter and Poke and the Joker as they managed to create an inferno of gunfire and knife-slashing.

During the course of the chaos and seeing that his henchmen were failing, the Scarecrow began to slink away again in the shadows, cursing under his breath. But before he could make a decent escape, hawk-eyed Harley bounded forward and grabbed him by the collar.

"Where ya goin', Crane?" she asked in a teasing voice, pulling him up to face her. "Your goons nearly wiped out my friends. My Puddin' is hurt and poor Poke got temporarily-stunned with your little Fear Toxin. Methinks that ya shouldn't get away with that without some form of punishment."

"F-fine!" Crane said in an oddly pleading voice. "I'll stay away from this area of Gotham. It belongs to the clown! I won't come back here again!"

Harley tsked and rolled her eyes. "I don't think that'll quite cut it, Johnny. You've been pissing me and Mr. J off for a long time. I honestly think that ya enjoy doing it."

"Don't hurt me, Harleen."

"Uh uh uh…ya didn't say the magic word."

"Don't hurt me _please_…"

Harley grinned over at Hyde. "Ya watching us, Charlie? I think I'm gonna teach ole Johnny here some manners. It's what he deserved for hurting you guys."

Hyde swallowed and noticed that Crane was no longer looking fearfully at Harley. His eyes were now turned towards the rooftops and his face had turned even paler than before.

Harley noticed this and frowned, shaking Crane by the shoulders. "What's wrong? Ya see a ghost or something? Did ya go into shock? Come on, spill it, Crane. I don't have all day."

An eerie smile suddenly lit up Crane's features and Harley and Hyde both blinked in confusion. In the background, the Joker had paused in his fighting and was blinking, almost sensing something else lurking around the alleyway.

"He's here," Crane whispered in a low voice.

Harley's eyes widened and she jerked her head all around the area, looking quite nervous. "N-no…he's…"

"He's here," Crane repeated. "He's like a serpent—poising himself to strike."

Hyde's gun shook in his hands and he took a step back, feeling his blood freezing in his veins. He understood what Crane meant.

Suddenly and without warning, a loud swoop was heard and every henchman—Crane's and the Joker's alike—began to screech in fear. Hyde felt himself nearly being knocked down as a dark shadow dove down towards them and everyone began to scatter in panic. Some of the goons that were injured on the ground managed to pick themselves up and fled in all directions. Gunfire rang out but something hit the floor and caused a mass amount of smoke to burst all over the place, clouding the alleyway completely. Hyde felt his vision failing him as he had lost sight of Harley, Cutter, and the others in the midst of the panic.

Then, out of nowhere, he felt himself being lifted by a firm hand and he let out a cry as another smoke-bomb was thrown beneath him. He dangled and then felt himself being lifter higher until the sounds of the panic could be heard from the ground below. He was set down roughly on top of a rooftop and he felt himself gasping as fear surged through his bones.

"Charles Hyde," a low, gruff voice murmured to him, making him shiver.

Against his will, Hyde turned towards the direction of the voice and his hazel eyes grew large as his jaw dropped.

The Batman had arrived.

XxX

_**A/N—Hey, y'all.**_

_**Once again, REALLY sorry for the slow update. School has just been kicking my butt recently, so I haven't really had that much time to write.**_

_**I'm doing what I can to keep at it, so keep bearing with me here.**_

_**-CAT**_


	20. Proposition

Hyde was practically shaking in his boots as the dark cloaked figured moved closer.

"Charles Hyde…the police have been searching for you for a long time." The voice was like gravel—like a demon's. It was enough to make Hyde want to pass out in terror.

"Please…" he managed to choke out. "I killed one guy—that gang-leader—but I didn't mean to! I had to…I was forced to go with them! I didn't have a choice! I-!"

"They aren't after you for that," the Batman replied hastily, peering down at the ground below in case any of the already-fled criminals had spotted them. "They want to bring you home. They already suspected that you killed Bromley. But unless you've recently enjoyed killing on your own free will, they only wish to bring you to safety."

Hyde's eyes widened even more. "You mean…you're going to take me back? I'll finally be free of all of this?" It sounded too good to be true. Never had he wanted to go back to his sane, quiet life as he did now.

"I've been on the Joker's trail for days," the Batman replied in his cold, dark voice. "I've been meaning to find you as well. You might be detained for a little while for some of your actions, but they are ready to let you go back to your normal life when it is all over. I had hoped to catch the Joker and Quinn, but I want to bring you back first."

Hyde wanted to jump, wanted to burst out in song, he was so happy. He could finally stop being Hyde and go back to being Charlie…could finally stop living the life of a criminal and servant to the Joker.

And then all that bliss trickled out of him as quickly as it had come as he realized the inevitable. He couldn't go just yet. Something was holding him back.

"Sir…I…I can't. I can't go with you. Not yet…not now."

The eyes behind the dark cowl blinked in confusion and the figure crept even closer. "Have you become loyal to the Joker? I am ready to take you back this very instant. Why won't you?"

Hyde ran a hand through his hair and looked helplessly at the smoky-gray sky. "The Joker made me promise not to try to escape. If I do…or if I were to try, he'd find me. He'd find me and then he'd…he'd…" He trailed off, looking at the Batman with desperation.

"The Joker often makes threats. But he's done it before. He won't find you. You'll be protected by the GCPD and by me. I shall see to it that he does not harm you."

Hyde laughed bitterly, making the cloaked Bat eye him with concern. "Yes, I know. But isn't that also what happened with Dr. Quinzel? Wasn't the GCPD supposedly watching over her as well?"

"No. They were careless. They didn't think she had snapped."

"What about you then? You were watching her too, am I correct?"

The Batman turned away and surveyed the now-vacant alleyway below. "I should have been watching her more closely. I too hadn't realized the level of madness that he had brought her to. She was already too far gone when she was rescued. But I too was careless…I too did not see what he was shaping her into." The dark man's eyes were full of sadness and Hyde felt genuinely sorry for him. "But you are different, Charles. You aren't obsessed with the clown. You seem reluctant to continue working for him. That means that you are still sane—still uncorrupted."

"I killed a man," Hyde murmured softly. "Is that not corrupt enough?"

"Yes, you killed. You walked across a line that I could never bring myself to cross. But you did it not out of willingness, but out of fear and desperation. And for that, you might find that Gotham can be very forgiving."

Hyde swallowed and looked away, squinting around to see if anyone had spotted them. So far, he had seen neither the clown nor Crane and his goons. "I want to go with you. I want to go with you _so badly_, but I can't. I know the Joker and I know that he will still hunt me down. I'll never be safe until he lets me go or he's gone for good." That was his excuse. And yet, he felt there was something else to it…something more than that.

The Batman stared at him for a long time, both out of pity and out of frustration. Hyde wondered what he was thinking. The Bat had wanted to bring the Joker to justice for quite some time. It was probably annoying him right now that he had wasted his time on some reluctant Joker-accomplice than on capturing the Clown or Harley or the Scarecrow.

At long last, the Batman spoke. "If you decide to remain with the Joker, it is uncertain when your next opportunity to get away will be. And by then, you might very well be killed. Or even worse, your fate shall echo Quinzel's—you shall have become like her in fighting for the Joker out of foolishness and adoration."

"Harley isn't a hopeless case yet, sir," Hyde said quietly. "I don't even think she's even really killed anyone yet. All this time I've been here with her, she's just used punches and kicks to knock down the opponent. She doesn't seem like the sort of person who is as evil as the Joker. She's _different_! She's—" He silenced himself before he started to ramble, hoping that it didn't sound too suspicious to the Batman.

"You've grown fond of her," the dark figure said with a sigh. "I can tell, Charles."

"I…I suppose I have in a way," Hyde replied with a sad expression. "But regardless, believe me when I say that I really do want to go back home. But I can't when I'm in such a dangerous predicament. Before I leave them for good, I need the Joker to think that I've grown too attached to working for him. That way, he won't think that I've willingly left him and he won't try coming after me. So I can't go with you right now. Even if this is my only chance, I can't go with you. I still need more time. Maybe I can even offer you some information as to what he is planning if I stay where I'm at."

"You mean…you would willingly remain as the Joker's pawn if you were to offer me insight to his motives?"

Hyde nodded. "Yes. I would do that. Let me stay put and I promise to fill you in on what he's going to do. I can't escape, you see. But if I keep gaining his trust, keep making him think that I am on his side, he won't try to harm me after you capture him."

The Batman turned away again, silently considering Hyde's proposal. "If I were to do such a thing, you cannot let yourself become consumed with his madness. You cannot let yourself become like Harley."

"I feel bad for Harley," Hyde replied. "I don't want to become like her. The Joker has hurt her many times and she's too blind to see that. If at any, the Joker being locked up again would be better for her."

The Batman was silent again before finally nodding. "All right. I shall let you go back to the clown. But you must not let yourself sink any lower. If you keep your wits up and try not to get yourself killed, I shall have you safe again by the time the Joker is sent back to Arkham Asylum. In return, you must find out all you can about his next attack on Gotham and report back to me."

"When could I do that?"

"Ten days from now. Do what you can to break free for a few hours. I shall be waiting by the docks at nightfall. Go there and tell me what you know. I shall even offer to take you away a second time."

Hyde nodded. "Alright. I'll do it."

"In any case, he might suspect you. You must be prepared to be in harm's way should he decide to follow you or send one of his minions after you."

Hyde shuddered a bit at the thought, but nodded again, feeling his heart beat faster. "I shall be careful."

The Batman looked down into the streets and looked ready to make a swoop downwards. "I shall leave you to chase Crane. He is easier to capture than Quinn or the clown. Be strong, Charles Hyde. Be strong and do not give in to his madness."

"Wait!"

The Batman turned and blinked.

"Before you leave," Hyde said shakily. "Could you please give me a blow to the face? I need to look convincing, you know."

The Batman blinked again and came forward, making Hyde start trembling again. Wordlessly, the caped vigilante struck him hard across the face and had disappeared seconds later, leaving Hyde to cough and spit out blood alone on the rooftop.

_So what am I now? A double-agent? A recruit for both the Joker and the Batman?_

His head aching, he made his way down a fire-escape towards the ground, cautiously stepping over still-unconscious Scarecrow goons. Nursing his wounded face, Hyde made his way through the streets, nearly tripping over several times.

He knew he was risking a whole lot in not choosing to go with the Batman. He might very well get himself killed at some point in the future. But he could not think about that right now.

For now, he had to find Harley and the others.


	21. The Getaway

Shivering with both nervousness and anticipation, Hyde made his way through the empty lots and alleyways, flinching every time he heard the distant noise of a police siren.

_I still can't believe it…I met the Batman. And I actually CHOSE to stay where I'm at._

He bit his lower lip at the thought, wondering how everything would play out. Now he had a mission, a purpose to his new life as a Joker-henchman. He now had to find out what the clown had in store next for Gotham—assuming, of course, that he had one. It was a good thing that the majority of these escapades just involved tangling with other criminals or retrieving weapons. At least Hyde's slate was still somewhat clean from being a total criminal.

Rounding a corner of another alleyway, Hyde stopped when he heard the sound of a gun being cocked in the background. For a few seconds, his heart lurched at the idea that it was the Scarecrow, come to finish him off before being captured. Swallowing, Hyde whirled around to see Cutter standing before him and he let out a loud sigh of relief as the man blinked and lowered his weapon.

"Hyde! Oh, thank god I found you! I thought the Batman had captured you and taken you away!" The older man looked utterly exhausted and the fierce expression from the fight with Crane was still lurking in his eyes. But Hyde would be lying if he said that he wasn't a bit glad to see him.

"I managed to escape the Batman," Hyde lied.

"Really? Looks like you got bruised up though," Cutter replied, pointing to Hyde's now-swelling cheek.

"He gave me a bit of a punch before I succeeded in getting away. Cutter, where are the others?"

Cutter grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. "This way. The boss is hurt and needs some patching up really badly. The others do too, though they're not as bad. We need to get the hell out of here and fast. I heard that Crane is being pursued by the Bat as we speak and I don't want us to get caught."

"Good thing I got away then," Hyde said. A good thing for sure.

He allowed Cutter to pull him along until they reached their large vehicle in a distant alleyway, veiled by the shadows to avoid being spotted by the GCPD. Harley was leaning beside it, almost guarding it. When she saw Cutter and Hyde approaching, her eyes lit up and she ran forward.

"Hyde!" She wrapped her arms around him and he nearly fell over. "Boy am I glad to see ya! Did ya really get away from the big bad Bat?"

"I'm okay, Harley," he said briskly, turning a bit red in the face. "I need to heal the Joker and the others. Are they all here?"

"Yup," she replied, looking into the van with concerned eyes. "I even got the medical kit out for ya. Oh please, Charlie, please help Mr. J! He's bleeding all over the place!"

"I'll do what I can," Hyde said as he picked up the medical kit and climbed into the van. "And I'll try to do it as quickly as possible."

"When I was looking for Hyde, I was hearing sirens all over the place," Cutter said to Harley as he stood next to her and helped her guard. "I hope we can get the boss and the others fixed up before we have to get away. We only have so much time before they find us."

Harley inhaled sharply and squinted in the distance, looking perfectly ready to tear out the throat of anyone who dared to come near them. "Hyde will be quick. He knows what he's doing. It's a good thing he got away from Batsy!"

"I'd say it was a miracle," Cutter said, cocking his gun just in case. "It's hard to evade the Batman. But as you say, Hyde is quick." He looked over at her with a sudden tenderness and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad that you're back, Harley. I was worried about you."

She smiled up at him. "Aw, don't get all mushy on me right now, Cutter! I'm just glad I found you guys when I did." She glanced inside the van and let out a sigh. "I just hope that Mr. J will be alright. And poor Poke got a good dose of Johnny's fear-gas-stuff! I don't think that was terribly enjoyable. And Rocco and Henshaw…they're all scratched-up and bloody. You're a bit scratched-up-looking too, Cutter. You're still bleeding, ya know.

"Oh, the hell with me right now," he replied soberly. "Let's just keep an eye out. Hyde's got about ten to fifteen more minutes before I get this thing into gear and haul it back to the hideout."

XxX

Inside the van, Hyde was working furiously: wrapping up wounds, fumbling with the antiseptics, and trying to focus on painlessly pulling out the bullet-injury in the Joker's arm. Rocco and Henshaw seemed to be doing okay once they were bandaged up and Poke looked to be recovering from his ordeal as he leaned against the seat and was exhaling gently. But the clown was trickier. He seemed to be somewhat feverish as Hyde went to work on his wound. Hyde knew that he had to be quick in order to avoid the Joker getting an infection.

"Our little medic comes through again," the clown crooned. "Kills a gang-leader, stands up to Crane, and escapes Batsy-boo just to come and help me. It warms my heart, Hyde-boy. It—_ngh_—really does."

"Keep still," Hyde instructed. "It's going to hurt when the bullet comes out. And then I have to disinfect the wound. So please try not to move around." He began to dig into the wound, ignoring the clown's grunts of pain. This reminded him a bit of when he had had to treat Harley's bullet-wound to the chest.

Once the bullet was out, Hyde grabbed ahold of some gauze and some antiseptic and began to clean the wound before reaching over for the stitching-needle.

"Gonna stitch me up, Hyde?" the clown asked in a surprisingly childish voice. "Stitches and I are like two peas in a pod, as you can probably tell from my face. You wanna know how I got these scars?"

"Hush," Hyde replied brusquely as he started to stitch up the wound. "This will probably hurt too. Just keep still for a bit longer." His stitching was less gentle with the Joker as it had been for Harley. But Hyde attributed to the fact that he had less compassion for the clown.

"This…this is nothing," the Joker murmured, letting out a tiny gasp. "Just going to patch me up until I'm myself again. Maybe I'll have new scar-stories to tell. I can tell them to good ole Johnny-boy if we ever run into each other again and—_ghh!_"

Harley poked her head in and looked over at the Joker with concern as Hyde continued to stitch. "Is he going to be okay, Hyde? Cutter says that ya only have a few more minutes before we set off for home."

"I think he'll be okay," Hyde told her in his best soothing voice. "He'll probably be really weak for a couple of days, but he'll be alright. I'm almost done."

The clown looked over at her and the corners of his scarred mouth stretched into a grin. "My sweet little pet returned just in the nick of time," he murmured. "My little harlequin came back to me."

She gazed at him adoringly and smiled. "You sound delirious, Puddin'. You should probably keep quiet while Hyde finishes."

"I'm finished now," Hyde said, giving the now-stitched wound another quick cleaning before propping the Joker up. "Let's get out of here and fast."

"Already on it," Cutter replied as he got into the driving seat. "Hold on, folks."

The van pulled out of the alleyway and sped into the streets like a quick bolt of lightning. Harley let out a squeak and clutched onto the seat as Cutter jerked the wheel fiercely and sped off with a roar. Hyde did his best to keep the clown propped up as the others reemerged from their sluggish states and blinked.

The sound of GCPD sirens wailed in the background and Harley sneered out the window. "They found us, Cutter. Let's show 'em what we're made of."

Cutter grinned and Hyde gulped as the van began to pick up even more speed, swerving left and right in an effort to escape the pursuing vehicles. The sound of gunfire was heard, but Cutter managed to pull the van farther up until their enemy was beginning to slowly fade away into the distance.

"Looks like they're not going to catch us," Cutter said with a smirk.

Harley nuzzled him and giggled. "That's the way it's done, Cutter."

In the backseat, Hyde let out a sigh of relief. For now, they were safe.


	22. A Heart Trembles

The van continued to speed onward until it had evaded the GCPD cars completely and neared the area of the hideout. With quick precision, Cutter swooped the van into the shadows near the warehouse and parked. For a long while, they waited in silence. Hyde felt the clown leaning up against him, breathing roughly like an excited animal.

"Alright," Cutter said at length after taking a cautious look around. "I think we're good. Let's get the boss and the others settled."

Harley nodded and grinned over at Hyde. "Let's do it! Hyde, you help me carry Mr. J in. Cutter, see if the others can make it on their feet."

The van's door opened and Hyde felt himself dragging the clown as Harley moved to stand beside him. The Joker had fallen into some feverish state of semi-consciousness and weighed like cement. Doing his best to prop the scarred man up, Hyde let out a grunt of relief when he felt Harley helping him lift her lover and gently pushing him forward. Cutter moved towards Poke and the cousins in the backseat, examining to see who was capable of moving with ease. Poke shirked off the offer for help and got shakily to his feet, stumbling ahead of them drunkenly. The cousins climbed out of the vehicle and supported each other—Rocco holding up the wounded Henshaw with a look of great concern. Cutter opened the entrance silently and they all shuffled inside, taking a careful look around just in case someone had managed to sneak in and was hiding.

Harley shifted the Joker's weight off of Hyde's shoulder and Hyde suddenly felt himself being relieved of the clown's body entirely.

"I'll take it from here," Harley said solemnly. "You help get the other's comfortable, Charlie. I'll tend to Mr. J."

"I'll still help you," he said. "After all, I'm the medic. The others are okay now. Cutter is looking after them, see?" He pointed over to the older man who was now nudging the others towards their bunks in the henchman's quarters. "Let me help you get him comfortable. I'll even do another inspection on the wound."

Harley smiled sweetly and blushed despite the white war-paint that masked her face. "Okay then."

As they started to make their way up the stairs, Cutter looked up at them, furrowing his brow peculiarly.

"It's alright, Cutter," Harley said to him. "Hyde's gonna help me get Mr. J situated. Take five for now. Ya deserve it."

Cutter smiled sadly, turning away back towards the others.

"She's the least scratched out of all of us," Poke said, rubbing at his temples. "God, I feel like shit."

"At least we're all alive. Hyde did a damn good job. You okay over there, Henshaw? You had it pretty rough."

"I'm okay," Henshaw murmured, letting Rocco gently guide him over to his bunk. "Just a little shaken up, is all. Rocco, go lay down. You're bruised up pretty bad."

"Not until you relax," Rocco said tenderly, smiling down at his cousin. "I was afraid I almost lost you back there."

"I was worried about you too," Henshaw replied, smiling just as affectionately. "Remind me never to do that charging move with you again, Roc. That busted the hell out of my shoulder."

"But you really saved my ass when it came to wasting that dude that almost jumped me with that knife. You saved my back."

"Same to you. You clobbered that freakazoid that had me in a body-lock. I owe you one."

"Oh, enough of the romance already!" Poke grumbled as he plopped languidly onto his cot. "It makes my stomach churn. Anyway, we should all be glad that the boss is okay and that Harley saved out asses. If it weren't for her, we'd be dog-food."

"Don't forget Hyde," Cutter said. "He came through for us as well—fixing us up and whatnot. Not to mention he escaped from the Batman just to come tend to us."

"He's one badass fella," Rocco said with a smirk as he lay down on his cot as well. "Ditching the Bat…now that's hardcore. His face is all swollen and busted up, but I say that we owe him a lot too."

"He's a hardcore bastard," Henshaw said drowsily, closing his eyes and rolling over to face the wall. "He's the best bozo we've picked up in ages. I knew he'd come in handy."

Poke said nothing, but rolled onto his side as well, exhaling deeply and wrapping his arms around himself, almost as if in comfort.

Cutter watched him and threw a blanket on top of him before moving towards the door that led to the main warehouse room near the stairs. "Get some rest, guys. I'm going to check the weapons load and see where we're at."

"Aw, get some z's for once, Cutter," Rocco said wearily. "Come on, man. Harley will probably check the weapons."

"No, it's okay. I got this. Later, you guys." He left his comrades in their bunks and sauntered towards the weapons stash in the other room. He paused and looked up the stairs towards the Joker's room, staring for a long slow moment. Then he sighed and went into the other room, shutting the door behind him.

XxX

"His breathing is okay," Hyde said to Harley as he hovered over the clown. "The bleeding has stopped and that's good. I think he'll definitely be okay if he gets some rest. If all goes well, he just might be able to get out of bed in a couple of days."

"My Puddin' is a fast-healer," Harley said brightly, relieved to see that the clown was out of danger. "He's put up with worse stuff in his life." She went over towards the window and glared at the shape of the city in the distance. "That Crane…he makes me so mad! He hurt my Puddin' lots and lots! Next time I see him, I'm gonna punch him in that stupid potato-sacked face of his!"

Hyde shifted the Joker's head on top of a pillow and went over next to her, shrinking back a little bit at the harshness of her scowl. "I think the Batman got ahold of him. With luck, he's probably been sent back to Arkham Asylum. You probably won't have to deal with him for a while."

She nodded, still looking at the city. "That's good. Arkham sucks the big one. Hope he has fun rotting in a padded cell. The jerkwad. I hope Batsy gave him what for." She giggled at the thought and crept over next to the Joker on the bed, pawing at him affectionately. "Poor Puddin'…poor, poor Puddin'…"

Hyde felt his chest pang a little bit at the sight and he swallowed, timidly coming forward and touching her shoulder. "You should let him rest for now. He needs it."

She blinked at him and, at first, seemed to be ready to protest, but then nodded and hopped up to her feet. "Okay. You're right. Mr. J needs night-night."

As Hyde made his way over towards the door, she leaned over and planted a tender kiss on the scarred man's face, whispering gentle loving croons into his ear before following Hyde out.

As the light in the bedroom shut off, one of the clown's eyes opened just a fraction of an inch. Just before the door shut completely, the eye focused on the figures of Harley and Hyde, watching them. Then the eye closed and the Joker let out a low groan, plunging into a feverish slumber where cities burned and the sound of batwings filled the air.

XxX

Harley and Hyde made their way down the stairs into the main warehouse room. Hyde, finally realizing how exhausted he was, collapsed onto the tattered armchair and let out a contented sigh.

Harley watched him quietly and then began to remove her costume, taking a rag and wiping the war-paint off her face. Tossing her crimson diamonded cloak to the side, she disappeared briefly before returning wearing a casual t-shirt with girlish shorts. Hyde stared at her, his heart pounding, and let out a cry when she suddenly dashed over and plopped right on top of his lap.

"What are you doing? Hey! Harley!"

"Oh, hush," she giggled, her pigtails bobbing. "Ya really are somethin', ya know that? Ya fixed up Mr. J like a miracle worker! What would we do without ya, Charlie?"

He blushed and squirmed a little, trying to shifter her more off of him. "It's nothing! You're welcome!" He couldn't help but let out a chuckle, amused at the childish respect that glimmered in her baby-blue eyes.

"Your face looks all puffy," she said with a smirk, pointing to his face. "Batsy must have laid a big one on ya. Heh."

"Um…yeah. He sure did." Hyde's tongue felt plastered to his mouth. Why did she always make him feel so nervous? He realized suddenly that he had missed her more than she could ever know. "S-so, are _you_ okay? You were there too, you know. Anything hurting?"

"Nope! I feel like a million bucks plus tax!" She laughed and bopped her forehead onto his, grinning broadly. "I've dealt with worse stuff than ole Johnny. You better believe it!"

"So then you're a regular little war-machine," he said amusedly.

"You bet!" she swung at the air and made an over-exaggerated tough face. "I'm indestructible! Crane and the Batman got nothing on me! Nothing hurts me!"

He stared at her face and realized that she was painfully wrong. The last time he had really seen her face, it had been bruised and swollen. The Joker…the Joker could hurt her. He could hurt her night and day and she wouldn't care about it.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking at Hyde confusedly. "What's that look for, huh?"

"Nothing. I dunno."

She laughed and poked his cheek on the non-swollen side. "You're weird sometimes, ya know that? You're like Red—spacing out and always staring. What's goin' on in that head, I wonder?"

He smiled again at last. "Oh, nothing much. And nothing you'd be interested in."

"Ha! I'm interested in _everything_, Hyde. Try me."

He shook his head. "Sorry. Classified information, Harley. Too bad."

She squeaked and nuzzled at him good-humoredly. "Aw, spoil-sport! Oh well. I'll dig it out of ya eventually."

His cheeks speckled a light shade of pink and he placed a hand gently on top of her head, patting her light-blonde hair. "I'm glad that you're back. I really missed you, Harleen."

She flinched a bit at the sound of her old name and looked at him sweetly. "I missed ya too, Charlie-boy. I missed all of you guys. But I needed some time away for a bit, ya know? Me and my buddy Red did some fun stuff together. She wanted me to stay again, but I decided not to. And good thing! You guys were in a hell of a jam back there!" She chuckled softly.

His heart did a tiny somersault and he felt both really timid and really bold at the same time. Why did she make him feel like this? Why was he just so damn glad that she was back even though he knew that she didn't need to be here? After all, now that she had returned, she'd no doubt just get beaten up by the Joker again. It was inevitable. And yet Hyde still couldn't shake the feeling of wanting her around near him.

He remembered when he had found that guitar and they had sung together in the gloom…before she had fled in the night. The memory of her face when she had listened to him sing…the feeling of warmth that had encased him and was still encasing him even now…

Yawning, Harley leaned against him and gave him a playful cuff, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Ya look really tired, Hyde. Ya probably need some rest. Why not go rest up with the others? I promise I won't try to mess with Mr. J while he's sleeping. Pinkie-promise." She held out her finger and smiled childishly.

He smiled back and nodded, sweeping a hand through his hair. "Alright. Just for a few hours. Then I'll go check on him again to see how he's doing. You sure nothing hurts?"

"Yup! I'm fine. I'm gonna go try to coax Cutter to go to bed because I know he didn't. Cutter's stubborn like that."

"Yeah…" He got up, gently easing her off of him, and walked over towards the henchman's quarters.

"Hey, Charlie?"

He turned. "Yeah?"

She grinned at him sweetly. "I'm glad the Bat didn't get to nab ya. I think that would have bothered the hell out of me."

He smiled, feeling his heart dropping within him like a weight. "I'm glad too."

"You're a good guy. A real keeper. I'm glad to have ya here." She beamed at him one last time and disappeared into the shadows of the warehouse, leaving him alone.

He stared into space, feeling everything he had ever learned or valued in his previous life being challenged. Why did she make him feel like this? Why did she make his heart pound the way it did? He was a man of medicine and science; _surely_ he could figure something like this out! And yet it was more complex to him than anything he had ever read in a textbook. It surged within him, making some warm part of him well up with emotion.

And suddenly, it all dawned on him. It crept up like a hunter and he realized the meaning behind everything. It had all became clear…

He was in love with Harley Quinn.

Insanely? Perhaps not. But madly? Yes. Definitely yes. He was in love with her. He loved her zeal, her childish friendliness, her impish behavior both in costume and out. He loved her form, her scent, and the sound of her light, bubbly voice. Like Cutter, she had somehow managed to worm her way into his heart. He loved her. Maybe not the same irrational and blinding love she felt for the Joker, but love all the same. It was strong, strong enough to look past her flaws and her faults. In fact, her faults only made him feel even more strongly for her.

But what now? If he was in love with her, what was he to do? He couldn't love something that belonged to Gotham's most dangerous criminal! It was practically begging for death. Not to mention that even though he was in love with her, he didn't like her lifestyle or some of her actions.

He didn't want her to be a criminal. He didn't want the dangerous clownish fiend that she masqueraded as. He loved that version of her, but he loved the real Harley even more. But then again, was she even the real Harley? He wasn't always sure. All he knew was that he longed to get her away from her life as a battered Joker-accomplice, longed to grab onto that childlike, friendly version of her and run far away until she woke up from whatever spell the Joker had casted on her. But the odds of that ever happening were very slim. In spite of everything, she was still insane and, when she wanted to be, dangerous.

And on top of all that, he had still formed an alliance with the Batman. He couldn't ignore that because he had become smitten with her. The Batman wanted to have her locked back up in Arkham Asylum. Would it even help her? Hyde doubted it. He doubted Arkham's care could ever bring her back to being a normal woman again. Oh, what to do…

Sighing loudly, he decided that he would think about it. He would try to come up with a rational solution to all of this. There had to be one. There always was. But, then again, there was never a rational approach to something related to the Joker.

Climbing onto his bunk wordlessly, Hyde stared at the wall for a long time, weighing out his pros and cons. He knew that he would still be reporting to the Batman. Regardless of his new feelings for Harley, he had to get free of all of this. He needed to go back to his normal life.

Closing his eyes, his thoughts began to blur and fade a little bit and he sighed again.

_Harley…_

He could hear his heart beating under the blanket.

_Oh, Harley…what am I going to do? Where do I turn? _

He had to get out of here. He had vowed that he would. He wanted her to come with him, to return to the world of the sane and decent, but he knew that the odds were against him.

_But can I leave her behind to become even more tainted by the Joker? Can I leave her knowing that he'll just go back to hurting her and using her as a tool for chaos and evil?_

He clutched at his sheets and began to drift off, sinking into a deep slumber. It was the best way to assuage his worries for the time being.

_Harley…Harley…_

Then, like the clown upstairs, Hyde slept.


	23. Tenderness

_**(A/N—Sorry for being so slow, guys! Once again, college has been giving me hell. Just bear with me. I hope this chapter puts a smile on your face because this is M territory here for sure, lol. WARNING, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GLORIOUS J/HQ SEX. You've been warned.)**_

XxX

For a few days, the Joker slept in drugged, dreamless slumber, allowing his wounds to heal as he lay in bed in the darkness of the bedroom.

Occasionally, Hyde would creep inside and inspect him, trembling with silent fear all the while. Somehow, he felt that he needed to be more cautious than ever around the clown, especially upon realizing his emotions for Harley. He had to keep his wits about him…it kept him from panicking every time one of the Joker's drowsy brown eyes opened a slit to peer at him.

The others were making it out alright. The cousins had made a really quick recovery and could walk around in ease, making jokes and acting cheerful in their own quiet way. Poke had been slower to heal and was still recovering slightly from the Fear Toxin that he had been infected with, but seemed to be turning back into his old self little by little. Harley spent most of her time scampering around the warehouse and tending to the Joker, popping in and out at random within every hour or so. In her absence, Cutter seemed to take over as the one who gave orders and, in his usual paternal fashion, saw to it that everyone's needs were met.

But since Hyde tended to the clown so frequently, he was blessed with more time to spend with Harley. After they both did what they could to make sure that the wounded man was comfortable, they would go downstairs and talk. Hyde loved to hear her light, bubbly voice babble on in the silence. He found that when she wasn't prattling on about the Joker, she could get very analytical—talking about concepts she had learned or things that she noticed about people in her everyday life. Ignoring the fact that most of her perceptions were tainted with the clown's insanity, she seemed to possess a very insightful way of thinking. Hyde attributed it to her past skills as a shrink.

Sometimes, they would take a walk around the warehouse, occasionally tinkering around with whatever they found in the storage boxes. Hyde had looked for the guitar but still had yet to find it. Still, it was fun just being around her. Her childish, good-natured aura made him temporarily forget the things he was stressed about.

And all the while, amidst the warmth and contentedness he felt around her, Hyde knew that it would not last forever. Once the clown resurfaced, she would be on him like a giddy puppy, pleased to see that her master was alright. It was inevitable.

And, unfortunately for poor Hyde, it really was.

XxX

The Joker finally awakened in the evening of the third day, murmuring and shifting around in the bed. His head hurt from being asleep for so long and he licked his dry, scarred lips. Sitting up with a grunt, the room came into focus and he blinked.

In the darkness, two twin baby-blue eyes stared at him.

"…Harl…?"

"Puddin'! You're awake!"

Almost instantly, he felt himself being nearly knocked back as Harley toppled onto him with a happy squeak. He cried out weakly in protest but stopped when he felt her embrace becoming gentle and less rough. She wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling into his neck like a love-starved kitten, practically purring with joy.

He couldn't help but laugh a little. "Well well…looks like I dodged Mr. Grim Reaper again after all."

She giggled and nuzzled at him again. "Ya weren't ever in danger, Mr. J. Hyde took lots of extra-special care of ya! You've been sleeping for a really long time."

"Have I?"

Harley nodded. "Uh huh. But it looks like you're A-okay now! I'm so glad!"

She really, really was. The sight of her giddiness made him want to bellow with laughter. Testing out his wounded arm, he bit back a tiny groan of pain, but was glad to see that he was only a bit sore.

"So I've been sleeping for a long time, huh?"

"Yup!"

He growled a bit at the thought. It meant that nothing had probably gotten done around here. And from the looks of Harley, the poor little minx had probably been scuttling all over the place tending to him.

He looked at her as she sat in front of him on the bed. She was wearing her lacy red night-outfit—a sure-fire sign that she had been sleeping next to him moment ago—and her hair was disheveled and messy. There were dark circles under her eyes that indicated that she hadn't had that much decent sleep while he had been in his condition. The thought made him smile possessively and he reached out with his good arm to pat the top of her head.

"My sweet little pet…you've been here all this time, haven't you?"

"Uh huh! Hyde's come in and out, but I've been watchin' over ya night and day, Puddin'."

"I don't think you were a week ago," he said softly, his gentle voice turning into a quiet growl that made her shrink back slightly. "You left us."

She hung her head, her pigtails drooping. "I'm sorry, Mr. J. I'm really, REALLY sorry."

"You went back to that little grass-stain friend of yours, didn't you?"

"…Yes. Oh, Puddin', I'm so sorry! Please don't be mad at me!" Her voice sounded whiny and high-pitched and grating. Part of him wanted to smack her for it.

But instead, his expression turned tender again and he stroked her cheek gently. The touch made her shudder and he grinned as she whimpered a little. "Alright, my sweet. You came back. So Daddy isn't mad anymore. You're not going to run off like that again, are you?"

"N-no, Mr. J," she replied quietly.

"It was naughty to run off. But you helped me and the others out of our little jam and that was good. Good job on that." He licked his lips.

She smiled; glad to see that she was off the hook. Her cheeks speckled a light pink and she leaned over towards him, attempting to show her gratefulness with yet another nuzzle.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Puddin'," she whispered. "I missed ya lots."

"Did you now?" he submitted to her affection, half-grudgingly, half-contentedly.

"I did. More than anything. Are ya still hurting anywhere, Mr. J?"

"Only a little bit in the arm and the shoulder, my pet," he replied in a sickly-sweet voice that made her shiver. "But something tells me that it won't be for much longer." To demonstrate how fine he was, he wrapped his good arm around her, pulling her close and making her squeak.

"I'm—I'm glad, Puddin'," she peeped. "Because I love ya so, so much…more than anything else in the whole wide world."

Strangely enough, as irritated as he felt with her, he _was_ glad to see her again. In his own way, he had missed her a good deal. Her body felt so small and fragile…like a child's. He had missed that trusting fragileness, missed those large round eyes that seemed to glimmer with excitement whenever they gazed at him. Her scent came to him—a combination of gunpowder, perfume, and arousal. Oh yes indeed…_definitely _arousal. His scarred lips stretched into a wider grin.

Scooting into his side, Harley inhaled sharply and timidly curled her arm around his waist. Her touch was careful and shy, trying her best not to hurt him. Her cheeks burned a deep red blush and she seemed to grow even smaller and more timorous as she reached and felt the erection that was bulging beneath the sheets.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, feeling himself rumbling with silent laughter as he felt her give into the kiss with hungry desperation. His tongue explored her mouth and she place one hand on his bandaged arm, making sure not to hurt him. He wrapped one hand around her head, twining her blonde locks in his fingers, while the other placed itself firmly and possessively on her left breast, feeling the nipple harden beneath his touch. She moaned into his mouth and kissed him more fiercely, shaking on the spot. Her hands rubbed themselves against his bare chest and he growled low in his throat.

Both of his hands were touching her breasts now, caressing her vigorously as the loudness of her whimpers increased. In made the bulge in his pants grow very large and, in a moment of adrenaline-like recovery, he moved and roughly pinned her down against the bed, listening with satisfaction to the sound of her gasps as he began to kiss and nip at her neck hungrily.

"You naughty thing. You ditch poor Daddy J and then you come back giving ole Johnny-boy what for."

"I showed him good, Daddy," she said with a purr, gazing at him adoringly. "Otherwise you and the boys would have been worm-food."

"Heh. My dearest, sweetest little pet…you're quite the little wonder." He licked the side of her face like an animal and grinned when she giggled.

"Puddin'…" Her voice was husky with desire, wavering with love and powerful emotion. "Ya still might still be hurting a bit. That shoulder-wound still needs some more time to heal and…"

Her words died off when his lips closed over hers and he pinned her down rougher. "Hush. I do what I want, Harl." His hands squeezed her nipples and she let out a little blissful shriek, enjoying the pain. He could sense her dampness and was aware of his own arousal, but he wanted to make her wait a little bit. Pleasure was like chaos—better when being built up little by little.

She squirmed beneath him and moaned when he slowly reached down and felt her slit. He chuckled and kissed her firmly again, feeling her whimpering into his mouth. He leaned over her and pressed his bare chest against hers, looming over her with an expression of pure possessiveness. He looked like a demon, his golden-brown eyes luminous and fierce. She remembered the time they had first made love…back when she had still been clinging to the last bit of Dr. Harleen Quinzel left in her. Now, feeling him staring down at her with such mighty authority, she wanted to burst.

Seeing her looking so desperate, so ready, he laughed and finally moved into her, grunting as he heard her groan with pleasure. He began to pound into her roughly, setting the rhythm and letting her match it as she mewled and clutched desperately at his back. Thrusting harder and harder, he felt satisfaction as she got more vocal, howling like a wolf in heat. His grunts got louder as well and he moved in and out, watching her as she closed her eyes and continued to cry out with bliss. Finally, he felt her tightening around him and they both climaxed simultaneously. Exhausted, he rolled off of her, murmuring slightly from the pain of shifting onto his still-healing shoulder. Rolling onto his good side, he stared at her as a thin wave of drowsiness began to overtake him once more.

Her face looked utterly blissful, smiling at him with such love and tenderness. He reached over and petted her head and she let out a cooing noise and snuggled in close to him, wrapping her warm body over his.

"That was good, Puddin'," she murmured softly in the gloom.

He smiled and allowed her to curl into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and cuddling him. "My little one…my sweet…" He was sleepy enough to be affectionate. Her warm body curled next to his felt comforting. Though cuddling was not usually his thing, he enjoyed this.

"Tomorrow we'll get ya back on your feet, Mr. J," she whispered, closing her eyes. "The boys will be thrilled. It'll be a real gasser."

"A real gasser…"

An idea flared up hazily in his mind and he grinned, draping his arm around her. She had just given him the perfect idea of what would happen for Gotham City next. But it could wait until tomorrow.

Until the moon had fallen from the sky the next morning, they slept silently in the shadows. And all the while, the grin did not fade from the clown's face.


	24. A New Attack

_**A/N—Okay, guys. I know it was a long wait for a new chapter. For that, I apologize. Please do not murder me in my sleep, lol. Hope y'all have a good Thanksgiving break!**_

XxX

"A new attack on Gotham?" Cutter's brow rose as he regarded the now-healed clown who was standing on top of the stairway.

"You heard me," The Joker replied with a smug grin, snaking his arm around Harley's waist as she purred with delight. His face was white with war-paint and he was wearing his thick purple coat. It was as if he hadn't previously been recovering from his wounds at all. "We're going to have a new attack. A nice little party for good ole Gotham City to take part in."

"You've only just recovered, boss," Rocco piped up. "Don't you think it might be a little too soon to start engaging in some big scheme?"

Harley frowned and the men all cowered slightly. "Mr. J doesn't _scheme_," she said. "He just decides to do whatever he feels like doing. Ya should know that by now, Rocco. Puddin' has got the most wonderful little surprise for Gotham. It'll be a real hoot! Ole Batsy or Commissioner G won't know what to do!" She giggled loudly, nuzzling up to the scarred man.

The Joker, in return, grinned back. "It won't be a _hoot_, Harl. You said so before: it'll be a real _gasser_." He chuckled darkly as the men below him began to murmur.

Hyde was quietly listening with great interest. He had promised the Batman that he would report on what the clown was up to in ten days. Well, five days had passed and the time was drawing near. Now, it seemed he had something to report on after all.

"Gas?" Poke's voice suddenly rose up the loudest among them. "You mean…you want to gas the city? What kind of gas? Poison gas? Explosive gas? Or do you want something like Scarecrow's Fear Toxin?" He shuddered a bit at the thought, his past incident with the Toxin having affected him a great deal.

The Joker laughed and strolled casually down the steps of the stairs. "I've always fancied the notion of making our own little gas. A sort of nerve gas. You know—one that's nice and slow and painful." The clown's voice was dripping with delight and Hyde had to stifle a groan of disgust.

Cutter nodded and leaned against the wall. "That's great and all, boss, but how exactly are we supposed to _make_ this gas? We down have the necessary supplies and I doubt no one knows how to make such stuff. Not even Hyde with his fancy medical degree."

Harley looked over at her lover fearfully, biting her lip as her baby-blue eyes widened. "Cutter has a point there, Mr. J."

The Joker laughed loudly and clapped the older man on the back. "Cutter-boy, you're always there to point out the obstacles. If you weren't so damn handy and I didn't like you, I probably would have offed you long ago."

Cutter looked at the clown blankly and said nothing.

The scarred man stepped in the middle of the room, licked his lips, and flashed them all one of his signature spooky smiles, looking almost as if he were about to burst with laughter. "There's plenty you don't realize about your boss. Your dear Uncle J just so happens to be a whiz at chemistry."

"Mr. J has so many talents!" Harley squealed, prompting the others to nod awkwardly.

"That's right, my pet. And you needn't be so bashful about your abilities to not speak up, Poke. A little birdie told me that you happen to know a thing or two about science."

Poke smirked. "Well…I _guess_. I mean, I did do pretty well in science-related stuff. I never finished school or anything though, boss."

The clown waved a hand dismissively. "I don't care about that, Pokers. I just need someone who's good with mixing around some stuff for me. Consider it a little way of showing Gotham how you felt when Crane gassed you. You following?"

Poke twitched giddily in place. "I sure do, boss!"

Hyde cocked his head and fought back the urge to ask the clown to go into more detail about his plan. But he knew that the Joker was a man who enjoyed keeping things vague. But, to Hyde's relief, Henshaw spoke for him.

"What exactly is going to happen with this whole gas-thing, boss? I mean, how will it all go down?"

Harley, like Poke, was trembling with excitement, eager to learn just as much as everyone else. Hyde observed it and felt himself shuddering a little with a small wave of sadness. Poor little fool. She hung on to the Joker's every word.

The Joker climbed up on one of the warehouse boxes and sat down lazily, swinging his legs back and forth over the edge like a mischievous child. "Well…I've never been one for planning. But I guess you could say that it'll be a sort of big one. Like the little ferry-incident. Gas-bombs all over the city. People panicked. Glorious, _glorious_ chaos." His eyes clouded over dreamily, reveling in the thought. "Perhaps I send a little message just barely beforehand to see how people react. But only _just_ beforehand. This time, I don't want them trying to flee Gotham before I have my fun. It'll be nice to see them panicking right before the main event."

"Ya sure do know what ya want, Mr. J," Harley said with a smile. "What a great idea!"

"Not yet done, my sweet. Now, once everyone is running around like a bunch of spooked cattle, I can bet you a million bucks that dearest Batsy-boo is going to show up. And that's just what I want. I've been longing to have another dance with him. When that happens, you'll all just leave us to each other. Don't interfere. I want my duel to be between just the two of us."

"But Puddiiiin'!"

"No buts, Harl. That means you too. You'll be focusing on Gordon and his men. Feel free to have as much fun as you want. You boys get to have fun too. Do whatever. I don't care. As I've said, I've never been one for planning. I enjoy things more when nothing really runs on a schedule. In short—we shall give Gotham City a day to remember." He licked his lips again and regarded them, fixing them all under glare of his commanding gaze.

"Sounds like tons of fun!" Poke giggled, nudging at the cousins. "You're brilliant, boss! An A+ idea!"

Cutter shrugged and the cousins nodded eagerly in agreement. Hyde nodded too, but inwardly, he was cringing. The explanation _still_ hadn't been detailed enough, but something in his gut told him that this was bad news all around. Gas…gas that affected the nerves. Gas that would result in a slow and painful death. A ghastly thought. It would be worse than Fear Toxin.

The Joker licked his lips a third time and got down from his place atop the box. "Now then…Poke, you shall come with me. You too, Cutter. You might not have that much knowledge about chemistry, but I could use your reliability. We're going to make ourselves some gas."

"What about me, Puddin'?" Harley squeaked, looking at him eagerly. "What can I do?"

The clown looked at her and shrugged. "Keep everyone else in line. Rocco, Henshaw, I'm thinking that I'll leave the two of you in charge of finding us a little test-volunteer for our prototype gas. Just when the time comes. And Hyde…" The clown looked over at Hyde and flashed a grin, making the dirty-blonde blink nervously. "You won't have much to do. Just assist Harley with whatever. Think of it as a little breather from all that doctoring you did a while back."

"Uh…Thanks, sir…"

The clown turned, Cutter and Poke flanking him, and disappeared into a back room, leaving the rest of them behind.

_So that's the plan_, Hyde thought to himself. _Oh, God! What am I to do now? _

He had to be patient. He would wait for more things to come into play. Then, when the time was right, he would go seek the Batman.

He just had to give it time.


	25. Victim

"Phooey!" Harley pouted, swinging at the air. "Why can't I have a big job? I gave him the idea! No fair!"

Hyde was alone with her in the kitchen area of the warehouse. The clown, Cutter, and Poke had spent days being shut up in the back room. Occasionally, Hyde would hear the sound of whispers drifting out from behind the walls. Every now and then, the Joker's laughter would ring out and Hyde would feel a chill running down his spine. The cousins had gone elsewhere and had not been seen since morning.

Days had been passing. Tomorrow marked Hyde's secret task to go meet the Batman by the docks. He was terrified of the outcome and worried for his future. But he had promised and he was not about to let his terror get the better of him. Just one more day…

But for now, it was just the two of them—him and Harley.

This made things awkward for Hyde. Upon discovering his love for Harley, it was hard for him to know how to act around her. Part of him wanted so badly to take her in his arms and whisk her away. The other part of him that was rational knew that it was a horrible idea.

"There's no need to get fussy about it," Hyde said rather awkwardly. "In fact, you should be glad. At least you won't have to mess around with dangerous chemicals."

Harley shrugged and sat on top of the kitchen table, swinging her legs on the side. She blinked at him from where he sat on his hard wooden chair and poked at his cheek. "I've dealt with chemicals before, ya know. I _am_ capable of bein' brainy every now and then."

Hyde smiled wearily and rubbed his forehead. "I'm not saying that you're dumb, Harley. It's just a good thing that you aren't handling dangerous stuff. That's all."

Harley sighed and in her usual kooky fashion, stretched out on her belly on top of the table, making him inhale sharply. She didn't even seem to care. She simply lay there like a lazy cat, light enough to not make the table give away from her weight.

_Always so random…do you ever change, Harley?_

He had to stop staring. Focus on what was to be done tomorrow. He'd sneak out around eleven. Or at least when he knew everyone was distracted. Then he would tell the Batman what he knew. No going back on it.

Harley yawned and stared listlessly up at the ceiling. "Ya know, one of these days, I'm really gonna prove to Mr. J how valuable I really am."

Hyde blinked, tearing himself away from his thoughts. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that someday I'm gonna do something for him that he'll never forget. Something awesome. Then he'll see what an asset I can be to him."

Hyde's heart leapt and he timidly reached over and touched her shoulder. "You're already an asset, Harley. You don't need to prove anything."

She sat up and brought her legs up against her chest. She looked like a sad little girl. "I _do_, Charlie. I tried to once. But Mr. J got mad. So then I vowed that I would try again one day and this time, the results would be better. So that's why I'm gonna show him that I can be of value to him."

Hyde wanted to crumble. The poor thing. The poor little fool. She had no idea how pathetic she sounded.

"You don't need to—"

"One day you'll understand, Hyde."

"Harley…"

The main entranceway opened and Rocco and Henshaw appeared, carrying a struggling person with a bag over his face.

"MMMF! HELMMF!"

Hyde's face paled and he got to his feet, staring at the cousins like they had lost their minds. "What-?"

Harley scampered forward and grinned mischievously, poking at the person. "Wow, guys! Looks like you got our first little guinea pig!" She removed the bag and waved at the man. "Hi there!"

"P-please," the man whimpered. "Let me go!"

Hyde felt the inside of this mouth getting dry.

Harley frowned and eyed the victim closely. "I think I know who ya are…you're one of Crane's little toadies!"

"We caught him when we found him wandering around the streets," Rocco said.

"It was easy," Henshaw added. "The two of us were waaaay stronger than him. He tried to shoot us though."

Harley grinned broadly. "Well well…now that wasn't very nice! But congrats, fella! Ya get the honor of being the first guy to test out Mr. J's newest product. It's what ya deserve. I think I recall seeing ya during that battle we had a while ago. I saw ya shooting at my Puddin'." Her voice was dripping with danger.

"Please, ma'am," the man pleaded. "I'm sorry 'bout all that. It was orders! Come on; don't do this to me, huh? Please, sweetheart…"

The spooky grin was still plastered to Harley's face. "And why should I? Ya tried to hurt Mr. J. But now that ole Johnny is captured, ya try asking me to let ya go free? Ha! That's rich! Okay, I'll let ya go if ya answer this question right—what's Mr. J's favorite color?"

The man glared and got angry. "You fucking BITCH! STOP FUCKING AROUND WITH ME AND LET ME GO!"

"Oh, come on! Answer the question. If ya do, I promise I'll let ya go. Cross my heart!"

"Harley—"Hyde tried to murmur, his throat felt too hoarse to continue.

"Just one little color," Harley sing-songed. "Come on, I'm getting bored."

The man glared and said nothing at first. Then he lowered his head. "Go suck a fuck, bitch," he whispered blackly. "The Scarecrow was better than your crazy-ass Joker ever will be."

Rocco and Henshaw looked at each other and then at Harley, shrinking back a little as her face flushed. Even without the white war-paint, she was looking pretty ferocious. Her grin had turned into a dangerous scowl and her friendly baby-blue eyes hardened.

"If that's the way ya feel, then I'm afraid it's no-go for you," she whispered icily. "I really _would_ have made the boys let ya go. I just wanted some fun. But oh well. Go on, boys. Take him to the back room. Mr. J and the others will be glad to see him."

The man, silent and resolved to his fate, made no attempt to struggle when the cousins placed the bag back over his head and dragged him towards the back room. The door opened and shut and the sound of the clown's giggling could be heard.

Hyde stood there, his eyes wide and looking back at Harley almost in shock. "That was cruel," he finally managed flatly. "You could have just left him alone."

"Ya sound like Cutter," she said, turning her face away from him. "That guy deserves what he gets. He spoke against Mr. J."

"You still could have been gentler," Hyde replied boldly, staring at the closed door with a hard expression. "You didn't have to egg him on like that."

Harley laughed bitterly and turned around to face him. Her baby-blue eyes were now soft and she smiled at him sadly. "I know…but I have to. I have to get mean. How else am I ever gonna impress Mr. J? I told you before—I need to prove myself." Her voice wavered.

Hyde steeped forward and stared down at her. And for once, she actually shrank in his presence. "Harley, you don't have to be that way. You're not really like that. That's not what I believe."

"Ya say such stuff like ya really know all about me."

He swallowed. The truth was that he didn't. He loved her, but he still didn't know all there was to know. Her behavior had shocked him. Part of him had forgotten that she was still a criminal, still the Joker's main ally. She was still dangerous and insane and was still capable of vile behavior.

And yet…despite all of that, he still saw something else—something that was not like the others. Cutter had it too, but not in the same sense. In Harley, Hyde saw _purity_. A heart that was full of too much potential for good to be subjugated to a life of destruction and anarchy.

"No," Hyde murmured. "You're right, Harley, I don't know that much about you. But I _know_ you."

She bit her lip, her eyes staring up at him. She looked innocent again. "Charlie—"

They both froze when the loud sound of gasping and coughing echoed from the back room. The sounds of a man crying out in pain. Cutter's voice was heard yelling in alarm as was Poke's in an excited shriek. Hyde and Harley ran over towards the door, looking at each other with dismay as the combined sounds of yelling, moaning, and laughter resonated.

Ten minutes passed and they could only stand there in silence, wondering whether or not to open the door. Then, the door opened at long last and the Joker emerged with Cutter, Poke, and the cousins flogging him.

"P-Puddin'?"

The clown was grinning from ear to ear. "The gas works."


	26. The Meeting

Hyde stared blankly through the murky glass of a warehouse window, biting his lower lip.

Tonight was the night. Tonight, he would set out for the docks and find the Batman. He would tell him everything he knew. No backing down. It would happen even if it killed him.

He had spent the day keeping a distance from the others. After the clown had delighted in the discovery of his new deadly gas, he had sent the cousins out to procure him another test subject. The cousins had returned scarcely an hour later with another squirming victim, a member of the GCPD. Then the clown, Cutter, and Poke had disappeared again into the back room. Another success. The unfortunate GCPD member had been reduced to a gasping, writhing figure when the clown had brought him out. Then he had died and Hyde had gotten a good look at the body this time whereupon he went to the henchmen's quarters to vomit.

A horrific sight. A pale body with wide dead eyes and a foaming mouth that seemed to stretch into a ghastly smile. Even now, Hyde was shuddering at the memory.

But tonight he would meet the Batman. Tonight he could reveal what sick and twisted plot the Joker had in store for Gotham City.

All Hyde had to do was wait a few more hours. Then he would go. He would slip away in the dead of night when everyone was sleeping. All he had to do was wait…

XxX

Creaking the door as silently as he could, Hyde shuffled slowly out of the room containing his slumbering fellow henchmen. None of them stirred at his movements. The only one who had really made any move was Poke, but it was just to roll over on his side.

Hyde closed the door and tip-toed his way towards the main warehouse room where the entrance was. On second thought, it probably wasn't a good idea. The main warehouse room had that stairway overhead that led up to the clown's room. And Hyde could not get the ghoulish image of the scarred man leaning over and glaring down at him from above as he tried to make it out. It was best to take the back entrance.

So Hyde swallowed and moved stealthily down the hall, pausing at every sound that he heard. He just had to keep moving. The way that led to the back entrance wasn't too far away. Moonlight shined down through an overhead window, basking Hyde in its silver light. Hyde inhaled and took another step forward until he had reached the end of the hall. Just a few more steps through the next room and he'd be out. Just keep moving…

A soft murmur drifted into his range of hearing and he instantly froze on the spot, his heart leaping with fear. Then, creeping forward slightly, he blinked in the darkness.

Harley was curled up on the couch sound asleep. Her hair was free from its pigtails and was spread out loosely past her shoulders. In one hand, she held a newspaper clipping with a picture of the Joker, in the other, an old stuffed rabbit with round button eyes.

Hyde stared at her for a long moment. It looked like her lover hadn't let her sleep with him tonight. From the looks of it, the clown had roughed her up again. A small mark was visible on her left leg and the subtle gray line of mascara ran down her cheeks. She was wrapped up in a blanket and muttering to herself in sleep, not awakening when he came closer forward.

Kneeling down beside the edge of the couch briefly, Hyde breathed in the scent of her; gunpowder, makeup, and the lingering smells of perfume. Her hands were clutching onto the fabric of the blanket like a frightened child. Her legs were drawn up to her chest, her feet kicking slightly at invisible objects every now and then.

Hyde felt a wave of both warmth and sadness sweep over him and he gently touched the top of her head, brushing back a lock of blonde hair that was in her face. She didn't wake up at the contact. She just let out another low murmur and brought the stuffed rabbit closer, leaning her cheek against its faded fuzzy fabric.

Very slowly, Hyde got back up and made his way towards the back entrance, stopping for a moment to look over his shoulder back at Harley's snoozing form.

"Sweet dreams."

He felt like she needed some.

XxX

The air was chilly as he made his way down the empty streets. It was a long walk and there wasn't anyone around, but Hyde didn't really care. So far, no one was following him. No Joker, no Cutter, no Poke, and no cousins.

_And no Harley either,_ he thought to himself blackly. _Thank God for that._

He wrapped his coat tighter around his body and continued to walk, sighing in relief when the pungent, fishy smells of the docks began to drift closer. When he had finally reached the docks, he stood there for a long moment, swallowing and glancing around nervously. He hoped there wasn't anyone around. He didn't want to end up getting caught by some rogue cop or anything.

For a while, nothing happened. Hyde could feel his knees shivering in the cold. He was still alone. No Batman yet. A gust of wind resonated in the air and he felt himself getting worried. What if the Bat never showed up? What if he ended up waiting there and the clown or one of the others woke up to discover him missing? What if they came after him? What if—

Another gust of wind rang out and Hyde felt himself being engulfed by a large black shadow.

"You came."

That familiar low, guttural voice that sent a chill down his spine. The sound of a cape blowing in the breeze. The way the world seemed to freeze with fear at the very sound of the gravelly voice.

The Batman.

Hyde blinked and shrunk back instinctively, smiling up at the dark figure nervously. "I told you I would come. So here I am. And I have information for you just like I said."

The Batman's eyes seemed to glow at him from behind the dark cowl. "You know what the Joker's plans are?"

"Y-yes," Hyde replied with a stammer. "I know. Gas-bombs. He's going to gas the whole city. He's going to send a new broadcast message to the GCPD just barely before he sets them off. He doesn't want people trying to escape this time. I don't know what he wants to do from there…I think he wants you to come and fight him."

"What is the effect of the gas?"

Hyde gulped, shuddering at the memory of that dying GCPD member. "It's a sort of nerve gas. From what I can tell, it damages the brain when inhaled. It acts as a sort of toxin—poisoning the victim to death. He's been working on it for days. He's able to develop it quicker than anyone I've ever seen."

The Batman looked up into the black sky. "Nobody knows who the Joker was before he became what he is. But from what they've gathered, he was skilled with chemistry. He once managed to poison an Arkham doctor with only a few cleaning liquids. It doesn't surprise me that he knows how to make such gas…"

"He—he's going to use it on the whole city! Everyone will die!"

The glowing eyes bore into him like a knife. "When is he planning on unleashing it?"

Hyde squirmed. "I…I'm not sure. He didn't say. But if he continues to develop the toxin this quickly, I know that it will happen soon."

The Batman stared into the distance for a long time, contemplating silently. Hyde craned his head closer to get a better look. The face was still concealed by the cowl, but Hyde could sense the gears in the man's head churning.

"What…what are you going to do?"

"You could show me where his hideout is. That way, I could capture him."

"No! Then he would know that I helped you! Plus, I don't think you'll be able to capture him AND all the others. They might get away. No, we need the GCPD for this."

The caped man sighed. "Then I shall send a message to Gordon. Perhaps they can get some people to evacuate the city before it is too late."

"Won't the Joker notice if Gotham's numbers suddenly start dwindling?"

"If he does, it won't matter. People will be safe. That's the important part." The dark vigilante turned his gaze back towards Hyde. "I told you before that I would offer you the chance again to let me bring you back to safety. You can be free of the clown and return home. You'll probably get off easy, even if you did kill Bromley. All you have to do is accept my offer."

Hyde bit his lip and shook his head. "Even if you captured the Joker, he would know that it was me that was responsible for it. And he'd escape and find me. I know he would. When you capture him, I need him to think that I am still loyal to him. Then he won't try to come after me and I can move to where he won't find me."

The dark man stared at him for a moment before glancing over at the city in the distance. "I hope you realize the consequences of choosing to remain with him. You could end up doing something worse than killing Bromley. You could end up killing the innocent. Or maybe you'd lose your mind. Then there would be no easy way out."

Hyde stared at the ground. "I know…"

"You can't let him twist you into thinking the way he does. You won't recover from it. You'll be no better than any of his men."

"They're still men though…even after all the horrible things they do. They chose to follow him for a reason."

"All the same, they can't be helped. They'll follow him until the day they die. A person caught up in the Joker's madness can't be saved. I know that from Quinn…" There was a trace of sadness in the Batman's voice.

Hyde blinked. "You tried to help Harley?"

"I attempted to. It was a year ago…back when she was his hostage. You remember hearing about it on the news. I tried to find her. I searched for days. But by the time she was brought back to the real world, the Joker had gotten to her. She was no longer Dr. Harleen Quinzel. She had become his puppet, his hopeless tool to use whenever he wished."

"Sir…she isn't like him. Deep down…she's different. Yes, she's insane and yes, she's incredibly dangerous and delusional. But I know that she isn't evil. Not like him. She needs help. She needs someone to try to bring her out of it. And if you give up on her, then she'll never stop following him." He felt his voice quivering.

"You seem to care a great deal for her," the dark man remarked, fixing Hyde with a cautious stare. "You speak as if you had feelings for her."

Hyde felt something inside of him tremble and he balled his hands into fists. "I only speak what I believe. And I believe that she is not as tainted as the others. She has the potential to recover. She just needs someone trying to help her."

"Someone else once told me that. But she could not persuade Quinn to give up the clown."

"That doesn't mean I don't believe there's still hope for Harley. I know there is. There _has_ to be."

The Batman continued to stare at Hyde a bit longer before turning away. "Perhaps you are right. All the same, I shall not hesitate to send her back to Arkham Asylum. She will take part in this attack on Gotham alongside the clown. There is no doubt of it. But I will be there when it happens. And I will see to it that they are all locked up once I capture them. Until then, I shall send your information to Gordon. There is still a chance for you to come with me now while you can."

Hyde shook his head. "No. There is too much of a risk. I'll stay where I'm at. That way, he won't suspect me."

"As you wish." The dark figure moved as if to leave, looking over at the rooftops and taking out one of his gadgets. "I wish you luck, Charles Hyde."

"Please—"Hyde called out quickly, pausing when the caped man turned back to look at him. "Please do whatever you can to help Gotham. Do whatever you can to make sure people aren't killed."

"And you do whatever you can to avoid becoming a criminal. Do not lose yourself. You cannot become like Harley Quinn." Without another word, the Batman fired his gadget and swung off into the darkness, leaving Hyde alone.

Hyde stared into space, chewing on his lip. So that was that. Now came the time when the tensions were high—the time that ticked down to when the clown decided to make his attack on the city. Once more, Hyde would have to wait. But for how long? He hoped the Batman would be able to alert the GCPD. Even if they were after him too, they would probably listen to him if it meant stopping the Joker.

Hyde looked out into the distance and started to make his way back. It would be another long walk and it was only a few hours until morning. He had to be fast.

Somehow, an infinite amount of time later, he had managed to make it back to the warehouse, entering from the back way. Shutting the door quietly behind him, he sighed in relief and leaned against the wall. He was safe for now. No one would know that he had gone out.

Harley was still sleeping, oblivious to his presence. The blanket was now on the floor by the edge of the couch and he went over to place it back over her body. She let out an unintelligible mutter and, ever so slightly, her lips formed into a tiny smile.

_You don't understand how much I wish you'd never met the Joker, Harley. You probably never will. Don't you realize how evil he is? Don't you realize that this attack on Gotham will KILL people?_

He made his way back towards the henchmen's quarters, making sure his footsteps were quiet.

_When—if the Batman captures you, I hope you'll finally realize the truth. You and I might share a bond, but we're still on opposite sides of the tracks. We're still different. And I can't devote myself to the Joker like you have. But I can't…I can't just leave you to fester and continue to regress while he uses you. I can't bear it. _

Hyde opened the door slowly and crept onto his bunk, staring hard at the wall.

_I have to save you, Harley! I have to save you!_


	27. Three Days

Three days.

That was all.

Three days until the attack. That was how long Hyde had to wait for. The clown had announced it in the morning after he had gone to see the Batman. Three simple days and Gotham would be thrust into pandemonium. Three days of Hyde worrying in desperation that the Batman had succeeded in alerting Gordon.

The clock was ticking now. There was no telling what the Joker had in mind for his involvement in the big attack. Hyde hoped that maybe he wouldn't have to do anything major—maybe he'd get a free pass out of this.

…But it was hopeless trying to lie to himself. There would be no way out of this. The Joker's word was law.

So Hyde stood by and kept quiet, trembling with worry.

Three days…

Just three more days…

XxX

"The stuff was a bitch to come up with," Poke was saying as they sat around the kitchen table with their cards. "The boss was relentless in getting it perfect. I'm surprised it came out as well and as quickly as it did."

"No use whining about it now," Cutter replied. "It's done with and now all we have to do is prepare."

"But that isn't too bad," Rocco chirped. "After all, the boss doesn't like planning…so there isn't that much preparing to be had!"

"I sort of _wish_ there was," Cutter murmured wistfully. "Once again, we're going to get into something big without even knowing how it'll all go. But that's the boss for you."

Harley wordlessly threw her cards down on the table and the men all groaned.

"Damn, Harl, you beat us again!" Cutter grinned. "How did you get so good with this?"

"That's my little secret," Harley replied with a giggle. "No telling!"

Poke grumbled and leaned back in his chair, looking over at Hyde. "What's up, Hyde? Come join in the game. A smart medic-kid like you might be able to beat this here imp at cards."

Hyde waved a hand, torn from his thoughts. "Oh, no thanks. I enjoy watching a lot more than playing."

"That reminds me," Cutter said, taking new cards in his hand. "You're up for guard-duty tonight, Hyde."

"Guard-duty?"

"That's right. Now that the boss knows this gas-stuff works, we need someone to keep a look out tonight in the event that rumors have already spread around Gotham and other bozos come in to steal some of the gas."

"But how can rumors spread up? No one has gone out to spread them."

"You'd be surprised how people find out things," Henshaw said. "I dunno how, they just do."

Harley hopped up from her seat and scampered over towards Hyde, leaning against him. "Aw, don't worry! Guard-duty is nothing. It'll be easy. Just don't fall asleep and don't let anyone in. And if ya see anyone poking around, shoot 'em."

"R-right…"

Harley poked at him good-naturedly. "It'll be a cinch! Trust me."

"If you say so…"

Cutter laughed. "I forgot the fella never did guard-duty before. Well, it isn't hard. All you have to worry about is people trying to get in. But it's a good sign from the boss that he chose you for tonight. It means he trusts you."

Hyde swallowed and did not reply.

XxX

"Ya wanna know something weird, Hyde? I could have sworn I had a dream about ya last night."

He blinked and looked at the blonde from where she sat on the chair, polishing one of the clown's rifles. "Did you?"

Harley shrugged. "Sort of. I mean, I don't remember what it was about. But I heard your voice. Isn't that funny?"

"Yeah…I guess." His face was a bit red.

She giggled and put the gun down and started on another. "You've been a great addition, ya know…to this team, I mean. I knew ya would be. Right from the very beginning."

_You have no idea how wrong you are, Harleen…_

"Well, thanks," He simply replied. "I'm glad that you consider me to be helpful."

"The boys like ya an awful lot. So does Mr. J." Her smile widened. "And me too, of course!"

"Uh…right."

"When we make our attack on Gotham, it's gonna be great! I'm gonna show Mr. J how useful I am! When Batsy shows up, I'm gonna help my Puddin' clobber him! Pow! Kablammy!"

"Great…" He was feeling a bit sick to the stomach. Same blind Harley—unable to realize the harm she would cause. People were going to get killed! Why couldn't she understand that?

She peered over at him, cocking her head. "What's wrong? Ya look troubled. Nervous about the big attack?"

"…You could say that…"

"Aw, don't be! It'll be easy! Mr. J knows what he's doing. He always does."

_Actually, Harley, you'd be surprised at how much he doesn't know what he's doing. He has no real plan, remember?_

Instead, he only nodded. "I'm sure he does."

She giggled. "Don't get all nervous! Ya always look so depressing when you're nervous. Ya ought to smile more. It's good for ya."

He looked over at her and smiled. But it was a sad smile. "You're so upbeat. How do you manage it?"

She giggled and shrugged. "Mr. J made me like this. When my life was dreary, he taught me how to smile again."

"I see…" The cold feeling in his gut got even colder.

"Mr. J is gonna be sooo proud! You'll see. When he and I are dueling with the Bat, he's gonna see how necessary I am!"

_That's assuming one of Gordon's men doesn't gun you down._

"You always talk of what _he_ wants. Is it what _you_ want, Harley?"

She blinked at him, her baby-blue eyes growing confused. "What I want…? Well, of COURSE it is! Anything Mr. J wants is what I want, silly!"

He frowned and looked away.

_You poor thing. You poor, poor little fool…_

She smiled and went over and patted at his shoulder. "Anyway, it'll be time for your guard-duty soon. Do your best and remember to not fall asleep. Mr. J is counting on ya!"

"I'll do my best," he replied.

"I know ya will," she squeaked back. "You've been efficient from day one! You got this, Hyde. Totally."

"Harley," he said suddenly. "Do you really want to take part in this attack? Are you sure this is even a good idea?"

She frowned and stared at him blankly. "What are ya talking about?"

"This is a dangerous thing we're going to be getting into. Very, VERY dangerous. I—I don't want you getting hurt."

She blinked and laughed. "Aw, don't be dumb, Charlie! I can handle this stuff. Ole Gotham won't even know what hit 'em! Hee hee…"

"Harley…"

"Oh, Harl," Another voice spoke from above on top of the stairway. The Joker. "It's time for bed, my pet. We have things to do tomorrow. Come along now and leave Hyde alone." The clown blinked at Hyde dully before disappearing into the shadows of his room.

"Right, Puddin'! Sorry, Hyde. Bedtime now. Have fun with the guard-duty. Don't fall asleep!" Then she bounded up the stairs before he could say another word to her, leaving him alone and tormented with his thoughts.

XxX

It was cold. VERY cold.

Hyde leaned against the door, fighting back the urge to sleep and clutching onto the gun that the clown had given him for the night.

How was he even supposed to guard anyway? It was too dark. Plus, who in their right mind would try to show up when it was this cold out?

Hyde sighed and stared up at the night sky and then at the city in the distance. He wondered how many people were leaving Gotham right now and how many people were just coming in. None of them had any idea what was to happen in a few days. But maybe Gordon had already issued a warning to get some people out while there was still time.

"I hope…"

He found that hope was not exactly what had gotten him through his problems of late. He had hoped he would never have had to join up with a group of criminals. He had hoped that he would never kill a man during his lifetime. He had hoped that one day, blind Harley would see…

Adjusting his gun, he shivered in the chilly breeze before making a sweep around the perimeter. What a waste of time. The others were inside where it was warm.

He made his way around the back area and paused when he heard the sound of rattling garbage cans. He raised his weapon and felt himself starting to tremble with fear.

_What if it's Crane? What if Crane broke out tonight and came to find us? What if he shows up and tries to kill me? What if—_

He paused and blinked as he saw a shadow move in the darkness.

"S-Stay where y-you are," he said in his best intimidating voice. "Who are you?"

"Feh. Typical of you men. Always acting tough even when you're frightened." It was a woman's voice, feminine and catty.

"Come out of the shadows," Hyde said, keeping his gun raised, but his voice much more coaxing. "Show yourself."

"Relax, asshole. I'm not here for any trouble." The figure came out of the darkness and Hyde gasped a little.

It was a beautiful woman with long, elegant red hair and a gorgeous figure. Her form was sleek and curvy and her eyes were a deep jungle-green. Her skin was a very pale color—the most striking of her features—and had a sort of strange green tone to it.

_Pale greenish-looking skin and red hair…where did I hear about…?_

Hyde swallowed. "I know you. You're Harley's friend. You're Red."

The woman chuckled and leaned against the wall, glancing at him coolly. "Don't call me that. You aren't _her_. So you don't get to call me that. But yes, I am Harley's friend. Pamela Lillian Isley. But they commonly like to refer to me as Poison Ivy."

He blinked in confusion before raising his gun again. "W-what do you want?"

She chuckled once more, moving forward and boldly lowering the gun. She smelled of perfume and different kinds of spices—an alluring smell. "Don't get all antagonistic. I'm not here for trouble. I just wanted to find out where Harley was living currently. It's taken me forever to find this dump. But by the looks of your getup, you've confirmed it for me."

Hyde lowered his gun cautiously. "I don't want to shoot you, to be honest. I am not like the others."

Ivy blinked at him with interest. "Not like the others? Oh…so then you're Hyde? Harley told me about you. Said you were a real sweetheart. Though I don't really believe any man is capable of being one."

Hyde blushed a bit, but managed to keep himself composed. "She's talked about you a lot. Says you look after her whenever she wants to—"

"—escape from the clown," Ivy finished for him. "Yes. I must say that your boss is probably the most reprehensible, disgusting, horrible, and most terrible of men I have ever seen."

"Well," Hyde replied dryly. "I suppose I agree with you for the most part."

Her eyes widened. "You do…? Hm. How odd. I would have thought you were just as devoted to the monster as Harley is."

Hyde shook his head. "I came here as a hostage. And though I have been made into a member of his team, I do not share his viewpoints or his sadism."

Ivy smiled impishly. "Truly a rare sight. A man with an aura of sensibleness. I commend you, sir."

He shrugged, not really sure how to react. "Uh…thanks. I guess."

"What a pity Harley is devoid of your sense of logic. The idiot is determined to ruin herself by staying with the clown."

Hyde looked at the red-haired woman with interest. "So then you get it too? Harley isn't getting any better. Not around him."

"That's why she'd be better off with _me_," Ivy scoffed. "_I_ know how to properly take care of her. All he ever does is put her in dangerous situations and beat her up if he feels she has displeased him. The monster."

"She'd be better with you?"

"Without any question. I can give her what she wants. I can nurture her and let her thrive. And yet she's foolish enough to keep going back. She never learns."

Hyde gazed at the woman intensely. "So then…?"

"What?"

"So then do you…?"

Ivy glared at him and crossed her arms, turning away. "I know what you're asking. And the answer is YES. Yes, I love Harley. More than you will ever understand. I love her enough to want to take her far away from here—away from Gotham." The woman looked sad for a long moment, almost despairing.

_So…someone else loves Harley too…_

It wasn't just him who shared similar feelings for the blonde. This woman did too. And possibly even more than he did.

His gun completely lowered, he moved closer towards Ivy. "Then why don't you? I don't like seeing her this way either. Why not take her where she'll be away from Joker's influence?"

"I thought that I could go through with that," Ivy replied bitterly. "I thought that my love could shelter her from the clown. But loving her is not enough…"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Ivy stared blankly at the ground before blinking and flashing Hyde a frown. "Never mind about that. I just came to figure out where she was. That's all. I'm leaving now. If you see Harley, tell her that she knows where I'm at." The woman turned and began to slink back into the shadows.

"Wait!" Hyde called out. "Don't go just yet! This is important."

"Oh? And what's that?"

Hyde swallowed. "In a few days, Gotham is going to be attacked. If you care about Harley and want to KEEP caring about her in the future, I suggest you get out of Gotham while you still can. The clown has gas-bombs that are—"

The woman cut him off with her laughter. "Fool. I'm immune to all toxins. And that includes any sad-sack gas that the clown dishes out. See you around."

And then she had gone as quickly as she had come, leaving Hyde alone in the darkness.

"_Loving her is not enough…"_

No…no it wasn't. It took more than that. It took action. Love…it was a dangerous, yet powerful thing. It could twist you, or depress you, or make you long for better days.

Hyde longed so much for a better day—for a world without chaos and anarchy. For a world where Harley did not have to suffer. For a world without gas-bombs or violence and death.

Three days…three days until everything exploded. Three days of thinking and brooding and wishing.

Time was running out.

XxX

**_A/N- Hey, everyone!_**

**_Since both finals and the holidays are coming up, the story will take a brief hiatus. Expect to see another chapter up around the 9th of January. Mind you, there are only a few more chapters left before I start on the fifth and final story of the Until We Bleed Series. I hope you are enjoying the story and I always appreciate your kind insight and reviews. You guys are awesome :) _**

**_Thanks, everyone! Happy holidays. Hope to hear from you all in January! _**

**_-CAT_**


	28. Eve Before the Chaos

Much like the dwindling summer, two days passed within a blink of an eye. Hyde found himself trembling with every passing hour, every last feeble moment of inner-reflection. He was terrified. Had the Batman notified Gordon? Were people leaving? Were the remaining people going to be safe?

Questions fattened his mind and he could barely listen to the orders that were being barked to him by the clown the eve of the night before the attack on Gotham.

"Pat attention, Hyde-boy. This is important. When the bombs go off, people will panic. You do whatever the hell you please. I don't care. I've never been the man who enjoys instructing on how to go through with things. There is to be no real plan. But you are to stay close to the others. No funny business, you hear?"

Hyde swallowed and nodded, his face inches away from the man in war-paint. "I understand."

The clown's dark-brown eyes glimmered. "You aren't going to bail on us, yes? After all this time, you're going to be a good boy and join in on the fun. Right?"

Hyde nodded again. He would have nodded forever if he had to. "Yes, sir."

"He'll be good, Mr. J," Harley said brightly from across the room where she was polishing one of the clown's knives. "He's a good kid. And he's as loyal as they come."

The clown smirked, went over to her, and touched her cheek. "I do hope so, my pet. He's been most useful. Killed Bromley…proved to be a sufficient medic…the boy is a real trooper. He reminds me of you a little bit."

Harley beamed and nuzzled at the Joker's hand. "Uh huh!" Then she looked over at Hyde and grinned. Hyde couldn't really return the grin. His thoughts were too far away.

When the clown had departed, disappearing in that dreadful back room where the gas was being stored, Hyde felt himself relax a little bit.

"You look a bit peaked," Cutter remarked from over at the kitchen sofa. "Getting nervous just because the boss wanted to give you some pointers?"

"N-No," Hyde replied. "It's not that. I'm just…uh…anxious. That's all."

Poke snickered. "I am too. I can't wait. Wait 'till you see it—the gas, the screaming people, the commotion. It'll be great."

"Assuming the GCPD doesn't catch us," Henshaw said. "They'll be fighting against us tooth and nail."

"Not if they're choking from the gas!" Poke replied gleefully. "They'll be too busy rolling on the floor dying to do anything. Hee hee…"

Hyde felt a little sick, walking blankly over towards Harley and wearily reclining on the tattered couch.

Harley's eyebrow quirked at him. "Ya okay, Charlie?"

He sighed, rubbing his head in his hands. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. Just…tired."

"Don't be tired for tomorrow," Cutter said. "You'll need your energy. When the boss sends us out to do whatever, we'll need to keep on our toes."

"You'll be fine," Harley said warmly. "Maybe I'll even stick around with ya a little bit before I go help Mr. J. If Bat-breath shows up, it's going to be a real hell of a time!"

"You be careful too, Harley," Cutter said fondly. "Watch your back. I'll be watching you just in case you need help."

"N'aww. Cutter, don't make me turn all red like that."

"You're red enough in that coat of yours," Poke remarked, still giggling. "I hope _I'll _be the red one tomorrow. Think there'll be blood out there?"

"You'd like that," Rocco said with a snicker. "Wouldn't you?"

"Poke is a real sick fucker," Henshaw agreed. "In another life, he'd be a vampire bat."

"Speaking of bats," Cutter said. "We need to be ready to shoot in the event he comes for us instead of the boss. I know he'll be there."

"So we'll kick his ass," Harley said brightly. "Pow! Blam! Bat-brain won't know what hit him."

"He moves fast," Cutter said. "Really, Harley. I want you to—"

"—Be careful, I know," She finished for him, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Cutter. Don't baby me. I'm a big girl. You just look out for yourself. I totally got this."

Hyde blinked at her, feeling his heart ache with affection. The words of Ivy came into his mind like a low whisper.

"_Loving her is not enough..."_

How multifaceted love could be. He loved Harley. Ivy loved Harley. Cutter loved Harley like his own daughter. And Harley…she loved the clown with a terrifying passion. And that love was irrevocable and twisted beyond belief.

"Harley," He said at length when the others had gotten too engaged with their own objectives to hear. "Do you honestly really want to do this thing tomorrow?

She blinked and, in a rare display of irritation, glared up at him. "Ya asked me the same thing a few days ago. What's wrong, Charlie? Why's that so important to ya?"

"W-well…it's just that…" He swallowed. "I'm worried that you'll get yourself hurt."

She blinked again before a soft smile lighted up her features. "Oh, you don't need to worry about me. I'm waaay tougher than I look. You should know that by now, Hyde."

"Your friend came a few nights ago," He said hollowly.

Her eyes widened. "Huh?"

"Your friend…Ivy. She came a few nights ago while I was on guard duty. She wanted to know where you were at."

Harley's baby-blue eyes seemed to stare out into space blankly. "Red…she came…" She looked up at him. "What did she say?"

"She worries about you," Hyde replied. "She really cares about you a lot…"

"_I can give her what she wants. I can nurture her and let her thrive. And yet she's foolish enough to keep going back. She never learns."_

Ivy's words kept coming to him, making him bite his lip as he glanced at the blonde. His cheeks turned a bit pink. He didn't know how the red-haired woman and Harley interacted, but he knew that Harley would probably be better off anywhere except with the Joker.

"Red's always cared about me," Harley said, going back to polishing the knife. "She's a really awesome friend. My best friend in the whole wide world."

"So don't you think that she'd be upset if anything happened to you tomorrow?"

Harley frowned. "She'd be upset…?"

"You could get hurt. Or caught by the Batman. Or shot down by Gordon's men. She'll be sad if something bad happens to you."

_I'LL be upset if something bad happens to you._

Harley looked down at her feet emptily before jerking her head up and looking him straight in the eye. "And what about you, Hyde? How would you feel if something happened to me?" Her voice sounded strangely composed, even. The voice of Dr. Harleen Quinzel, peeking out from the black pit that she'd been held captive in for so long.

He swallowed. "I…I'd be really sad."

She looked at him, her eyes soft and complacent. Then she smiled up at him sweetly. "Well, at least I know that I got friends that are lookin' out for me. And Puddin' will look out for me too. You'll see."

He sighed, shaking his head. Ivy was right. She'd never learn. He had to accept that. "Right."

He stared into the darkness for a long time, listening to the sounds of Harley humming as she prepared herself for the day that followed.

And what would follow? He'd never really know. He just knew that lots of bad things would happen. He was sure of it.

XxX

_**A/N—Sorry for the delay, everyone! Getting adjusted to new classes proved to be a bit hectic. But now, I can finally continue the story. I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I sure did, hence the brief hiatus, ha ha. Anyway, enjoy and thanks for reading!**_

_**-CAT**_


	29. Time's Up

It was dawn.

The van-ride into the city square seemed to last hours. Hyde had felt his pulse rising the moment he had gotten in the vehicle. Apprehension and fear clouded his mind and he wanted to gag.

Rocco and Henshaw had loaded their guns and Poke had sharpened his knife. Cutter, always quiet, had driven the van in silence. The Joker and Harley had sat in the very back seat. Harley was grinning from ear to ear. Her face, like the Joker's was masked in white war-paint and she was holding onto the clown as if he were nothing more than some giant teddy bear. It made Hyde sick just looking at it. The Joker didn't even seem to pay attention to the affection. He simply sat there and stared out into space, thinking his dark, distant thoughts and smiling to himself. For the most part, no one really talked on the way there, save for Harley's tender coos and poke's manic giggling.

Hyde was thankful to see that there were less people wandering around the streets during this hour—perhaps Gordon had gotten the warning through and they had managed to get out of town. Hyde really hoped that. And the others didn't seem to notice so that was a bit relieving. Hyde knew that not everyone would have left though—some might not have believed the warnings. After all, the last time the Joker had done something big like this, he'd tricked them into trying to escape on the ferries where they had all almost died.

Hyde wondered just what was going to happen. The Joker had made it clear multiple times that there was to be no real plan of action. Odd, for someone who said that he didn't plan, wasn't technically scheduling an attack after three days sort of a plan in itself? Hyde didn't want to think about it. The Joker never made any sense. It reminded Hyde how much he wanted to leave.

Maybe…maybe after the Batman captured the Joker…maybe then he could finally be free. He'd turn himself in for killing Bromley, serve any punishment they gave him, and then finally go home and back to working at Gotham General. It would be bliss.

He glanced back at Harley in the backseat where she was now looking at the window, holding onto the Joker's arm.

_But…Harley…what would become of her? If I were to finally go back, what would happen to her? They'd lock her back up at Arkham—the same place the Joker is at. She'd never get better…she'd only get worse and worse…_

He bit his lip, conflicted to his very core. If Harley was going to fight at Joker's side during this attack, it meant that she'd not only be in the line of fire, but also at risk for getting captured by Batman.

_But that would be a good thing, right? I mean, she's still attacking the city too…she's still a criminal…_

God, this wasn't easy for him. He had to stop thinking. Harley had told him that she wasn't going to be persuaded to not go through with this. So it was no good.

"_At least I know that I got friends that are lookin' out for me. And Puddin' will look out for me too. You'll see."_

He swallowed. He really loved her. He loved her in more ways than he could explain. Whatever was about to happen, he hoped that she'd make it through alright. And if she was to be captured, then so be it. Once he was back to his normal life, he'd see to it that her treatment at Arkham would be more efficient. Maybe he could even visit her sometime. Yeah, that would be good.

"Harl and I are going to leave you four to yourselves soon," the clown spoke, breaking the silence. "Do whatever you want that'll cause hysteria. The only thing I ask you to do is let loose the gas. You have masks so that none of you succumb to it."

"Gee, boss," Poke murmured. "That's awfully nice of you. But what will you and Harley do?"

"We'll stand above. Watch the commotion. Maybe fight off some of Gordon's men. They'll inevitably be here." The scarred man's eyes glimmered. "And watch for the Bat. He'll be here."

"And we'll be ready right, Puddin'?"

The clown chuckled and petted her head. "That's right, my pet. You can help daddy fight for a little bit, but you leave the Bat to me when I tell you."

Harley frowned but nodded, clinging onto him. "I gotcha, Mr. J."

"Be careful, Harley," Cutter's voice whispered softly, but it was lost under the loud noises of the van rumbling and the gas-containers being shifted in the trunk.

XxX

Several longer, hour-like minutes passed and Hyde felt himself cringing. He was scared. No, not scared—_terrified_. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He just hoped that the Batman showed up quick. Maybe he was already there. That way, he could nab the Joker right before all the horror went down.

Finally, they had reached the square. It looked deserted for the most part, but no one said anything. The Joker had ordered Cutter to stop and soon, he and Harley had gotten out of the van.

"Alright, boys," the clown whispered. "Don't wait for a signal or anything. Just be on the lookout for Gordon's men. And don't let me down or I'll skin all of you alive. This is going to be fun."

"Understood, boss," Cutter replied.

"Good," the Joker said with his trademark wide, hellish grin. "Let's make the most of this."

Then he and Harley disappeared, running down the street and giggling like a pair of mischievous children. Hyde watched after Harley for a few seconds, breathing in the sight of her crimson-red cape as she followed after the deranged man she loved.

"Alright," Cutter said softly as he drove the van directly into the middle of the square. "Let's do this."

"Oh god, I can't wait!" Poke exclaimed, his giggles getting louder. "It's finally time!"

The cousins wordlessly adjusted their rifles, handing out the gas-masks. Soon, all four men's faces were masked and they stepped out of the vehicle. Cutter and Poke moved towards the trunk, opening it and getting ready to let the gas loose.

Hyde felt himself shaking with the gun in his hand. Any moment now and all hell would break loose. Any moment now and anyone who had not believed the warnings would die. Any moment now he'd be thrust into a world of hysteria and chaos, in danger at every second.

Rocco and Henshaw stood next to him as Poke and Cutter began to through the containers of gas one by one into the streets. It clouded the area like a giant smoke-bomb, drifting into the air in a giant green ball of smog.

Closing his eyes behind the mask, Hyde could hear his own heartbeat.

_Harley…please be safe…please be safe…_


	30. The Hunters are Hunted

Hyde felt himself running. Cutter was at his side, firing his gun and yelling for the others to move. Rocco and Henshaw were keeping up as best they could, clutching their guns nervously. Poke was trailing behind, nursing a wound to the shoulder and gleefully cursing the GCPD men that were chasing them.

"Stupid fucking Gordon-sheep! You can't catch us! We belong to the boss! He owns this city!" Poke sent another array of bullets, knocking a few GCPD members down.

Hyde's gun was limp at his side as he ran. He felt nothing but fear—nothing but the desire to get to safety. It had all happened so quickly—the gas, the horror of watching a few unfortunate people who had stuck around choking and coughing in the streets, the sudden wail of the GCPD sirens arriving.

"All five of you get on the ground!" an officer had said when the first car had pulled up. The officer had been wearing a gas mask, showing that Gordon had been well prepared for this. Then dozens of GCPD members had showed up including Gordon himself. Hyde had wanted to run towards him, beg for him to take him away from all of this, explain that he was doing this all against his will.

He had to slip away to safety. But for now, all he could do was run, run and hope that they wouldn't injure him. The gas in the air had made the streets hard to see and they passed by a dead homeless man, his face pale and ghoulish from the effects of the gas.

Gunfire from the GCPD ran out and Rocco grunted in pain, stumbling.

"Rocco!" Henshaw cried, seizing his cousin and bearing him up. "Keep strong! I got you."

Cutter fell back, regardless of the continuous gunfire, and helped Henshaw. "Hold on! We need a chance to escape. Hang tough, Rocco."

"Die!" Poke was shrieking. "Die you fucking peons! You're nothing! The Joker is ten times more powerful than you. Die! DIE!" More gunfire.

_I can make it_, Hyde thought to himself, feeling his chest starting to hurt from running. _I can do this. I'll make it out. I will._

XxX

The clown blinked down at the commotion below through the glass window of the building he and Harley had broken into.

This was…rather unexpected. He would say that he loved it since it hadn't gone according to plan, but his lovely gas was being wasted. It looked like someone had realized what they'd been up to and so there were practically no Gothamites around. Only a small handful. And on top of that, the GCPD looked like they'd come prepared too—they were all wearing gas masks. Even Gordon.

"The boys are running," he said softly to the blonde at his side. "Looks like Rocco just got injured."

"What happened, Puddin'?" Harley asked in bewilderment. "I thought that everything would go smoothly. How'd the GCPD know we were here? How come they're all wearin' gas masks?"

"They must have known," the scarred man replied. "They must have known that this would happen. It's amazing how everything turns out this way. I didn't even bother sending Gotham a warning message."

The blonde looked at the clown nervously, her pigtails bobbing. "They're gonna get hurt, Mr. J—Cutter and Poke and Rocco and Henshaw and…Hyde." She swallowed, looking down at the ground.

"A pity. But it's the Bat I'm looking for, Harl. Even if this thing was a beautifully unexpected bust, there's still Batsy to look forward to. Yes indeed."

Harley stood beside him, clutching onto his thick purple coat. "Mr. J…what about the boys? They could get killed down there."

"Oh don't be silly, my pet. They're wearing masks to protect themselves from the gas. They got nothing to worry about."

"That's not what I meant," she replied, looking up at him with a rare expression of firmness. "You know exactly what I mean. Gordon's men are gonna shoot them down. They'll die like dogs in the street."

"That would be quite upsetting," the clown said, playing with his knife. "It would be a shame to lose old reliable Cutter after everything he's done for me. And Poke with all of his swiftness. And the cousins. And poor little Hyde with all his budding skill." He licked his lips.

"Can't we go help them?" she asked, her voice strangely pleading. "Please, Puddin'? We can't replace them—they're part of our team after all."

The clown looked at her with his dangerous dark-brown eyes and licked his lips again. "Whatever happens to them is left to chance. Something perhaps old Harvey would agree with." He chuckled.

"Mr. J!" Harley exclaimed, tugging at him. "Ya can't just say that! Are they really that disposable to you?" She paused, biting her lip and looking at him with a frown. "…Would I be that disposable to you?"

The clown let out a low growl and socked the woman on the cheek with his fist, sending her falling back on the ground. He towered over her, his white war-paint almost glowing and his scarred red mouth pulled up into a demonic grinning-frown.

"Do not say such stuff, my pet," he murmured softly. "You should know better by now. Do not make me have to punish you in the middle of all this glorious chaos. Chaos, Harley…chaos is what encompasses everything. _Nothing_ went according to plan, you see? And that's beautiful. So the only thing we should do is leave everything up to chaos. We see what happens. And we use it to our advantage."

Harley stared up at him with wide blue eyes, pulling herself up to a sitting position. She would not cry. She'd learned not to cry when he hurt her. She still loved him and wanted to accept everything he said without a scrap of hesitation. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't want the boys to die. They were her family sort of.

And Hyde…well she had grown really fond of him.

_Charlie…_

"Take comfort," the Joker said quietly, peering down below. "It looks like they're starting to get a lead on the GCPD. It's rather amazing considering that both Poke and Rocco got shot. Huh. Gordon looks mighty irked. Brave of him to be running out in the open like that. I'd tip my hat to him if I had one."

"Puddin'…" Harley whispered, wiping the trickle of blood that was running down her mouth.

"Still no sign of Bat-breath. But he'll be here. Something tells me that he's the one who leaked everything out to Gordon and his goons. That's probably why Gotham is such a ghost town right now. Awfully efficient, that Bat. What do you think, Harl?"

"…"

"…Harl…?"

XxX

"We gave them the slip," Cutter said as they hid in the darkness of an alleyway. "I can hear them though. But they think we ran down another block. We're safe for the time being."

"We need the boss," Henshaw said, clutching onto the bleeding Rocco as Hyde tended to the bullet wound. "We need him to come down here and see what's going on."

"Relax, Henshaw," Poke crooned. "Ole Rocco will be just dandy. I got shot and I could care less. I managed to kill five of those bastards. So I'm pretty content."

"Keep holding still," Hyde whispered to Rocco, digging out the bullet. "I don't have my medical supplies with me. But I think I can close the wound for the time being." He looked at Cutter worriedly, expressing his concern.

"Which means that we're screwed unless we get the hell out of here," Rocco moaned. "Damn it…"

"I've got you, Rocco," Henshaw said, embracing his wounded cousin. "You'll be alright."

"We'll all be alright," Cutter said, standing and keeping watch for the threat of any approaching GCPD members. "We're going to get out of this alive. The boss knows what he's doing. Trust me."

"Where the hell is the boss?" Henshaw asked, staring up at the taller buildings above. "Why isn't he here where the action is?"

"You know the boss," Cutter replied. "He's unpredictable. But he'll be here."

Hyde got up from where he stooped and stood next to Cutter. "Are you really going to lie to them?" he whispered softly to the older man.

"I have to. They're scared. And they need to stay positive if trouble comes calling."

Hyde swallowed and nodded. "Well…can't really argue with that logic."

"She's with him too, you know," Cutter said, staring out into the distance. "She's safe that way. It's better for her that way. I don't have to worry about her dying."

Hyde blushed. _That's right…you'll be safe, Harley. You won't get yourself killed._

"Cutter," Poke muttered softly, cocking his gun. "If the GCPD went that way, it means that they're headed for Kingswood Street. We could circle around and give them a hell of an ambush."

"There's still too many of them. They'd wipe us out before we even managed to do any real damage."

"We could still at least try. We could even take down Gordon."

"Gordon is the Commissioner," Hyde said. "That means that he'll be too protected."

"Hyde's right. We need to be smart on this and wait for the boss to give a signal or something. That way, we can be sure what to do."

"He won't give a signal though," Henshaw said miserably. "That isn't like the boss."

"Patience," Cutter assured. "Just be patient. Hold out hope. We are not children afraid of shadows. We are members of the boss's crew. We always make it through."

"You say th-that only b-because you've been h-his fucking favorite since f-forever," Rocco gurgled out, glaring and nursing his wound. "And you know it."

"Leave Cutter alone!" Hyde exclaimed, trying to stare Rocco down from behind his mask. "He's trying to keep things together! This isn't the time to get petty!"

"Feh," Poke grumbled. "You're one to talk. The boss has been enamored with you too ever since Harley picked you up. You've that new toy that he wants to play with all the time. I think you're still just here because you're making puppy-eyes at Harley. Am I right, Casanova?"

Hyde's face turned really red, but Henshaw stood in between him and Poke, blocking them from each other. "That's fucking enough. Hyde is right. We need to stop fighting like a pack of stupid kids. We need to focus, calm the fuck down. That goes for you too, Rocco."

"I…" Rocco began before he lowered his head and fell silent, looking apparently ashamed for the things he had said.

"Let's remain optimistic," Cutter said above them, gently placing a hand on Hyde's shoulder. "We'll get through this. And if we get attack and should die, we go out with a bang. Like warriors and not like cowards." Hyde looked up at the older man, smiling a little bit in awe of him.

Poke muttered something and, ignoring them, started to wander out in the open street.

"H-hey, Poke," Henshaw called out nervously. "Wh-where are you going? Poke? Poke!"

"Poke!" They all called his name, begging him to come back.

The scruffy dark-haired man simply grinned and moved his body in a sort of makeshift dance. "I'm waiting for the fun to start, boys! Staying optimistic just like Cutter said! Hee hee, come on, Gordo! Let's see what you can do for dear old Poke! Oh, GORDOOOOON!"

They clambered over one another, pleading with him to stop, to come back into the shadows of the alleyway where it was safe. But he didn't listen. He just continued to dance around, giggling like a maniac.

"Come on, Gordon! You know you and your boys wanna try a little piece of old Poke! Come on! I'm the one who helped make the gas anyway! Come ooooon! You know you want t—"

Something dark and powerful swooped down and struck Poke like a black bullet, hurtling him towards the ground. Poke cried out and fired his gun, but the figure dodged the bullets expertly and struck him again, sending the man crawling towards the alleyway like a bewildered animal.

"He's here!" Poke shrieked as they all readied their weapons. Hyde could feel his eyes widening. "He's here! It's HIM!"

XxX

_**A/N—Hey there, everyone!**_

_**Really sorry for the rather random updates but I hope you're enjoying the story. Only a few more chapters until it comes to a close and I hope you like how it ends!**_

_**After this one is over, I shall start posting chapters for the last and final story of the Until We Bleed Series—Gravity. No spoilers but let me tell you that it's going to get pretty tense, ha ha.**_

_**Anyway, enjoy the new chapter. I look forward to hearing from y'all and posting the next one again soon. Just gotta work through these college classes.**_

_**TTYL**_

_**-CAT**_


	31. Combat

Cutter and the cousins charged at the man, the man wearing the black bat-suit. Except for Hyde who stood there frozen, watching with wide eyes and holding onto the injured Poke.

"Kill him!" Poke was screaming, still not deterred by his wounds. "Tear his head off!"

Cutter was the first to make it to the Bat, firing his gun before aiming a sharp punch at the cowl that held those piercing dark eyes. The Batman grunted, barely afflicted from the blow and dodged the bullets skillfully, knocking Cutter back before the cousins attacked him. Rocco was weak from his bullet wound and was easily thrown off to the side like garbage. Henshaw tried to put up a good fight, but was also knocked back.

"Where is the Joker?" The Batman asked in his low gravelly voice, standing over Cutter and leering down at him. "Tell me."

"I'm not telling you anything," Cutter said in the fiercest voice Hyde had ever heard him use. "I will never betray my boss."

The Batman kicked him roughly, sending him rolling off to the side with a moan of pain. The cousins got to their feet, raising their weapons. The Batman blinked and threw a strange sort of boomerang object; slashing their hands and making them drop their guns.

"I'll ask you again," the Batman said roughly. "Where. Is. He." His voice was flat, cold and dangerous. It sent chills down Hyde's spine. Hyde was wondering why the Batman hadn't reacted to his presence yet—probably because he was still wearing a gas-mask.

"We're not telling you anything!" Henshaw moaned out from the ground, bracing the barely-conscious Rocco up. "You can go and fucking find him yourself if you want him so much."

The Batman's eyes seemed to flick dangerously at each of their masked faces…almost searching. He was trying to guess which one was Hyde. It certainly wasn't the older man and the two that had attacked him. And the one he had first injured wasn't him. So it had to be the one in the very back, the one standing there as if he were petrified.

_I've found you once again, Charles Hyde…_

He couldn't take him away though. He had promised to once the Joker was captured. Until then, he and Hyde both knew that they were forced to act out the roles they'd been given. But that would not stop him from at least trying to get some information out of Hyde.

Coming forward, the Batman kicked Cutter out of the way, towering over Poke and Hyde with glowing eyes. "I shall ask you. Where is the clown?"

"Don't tell this fucker!" Poke squeaked, his eyes blazing. "Don't you do it, Hyde!"

"He…" Hyde felt his voice getting dry. He wanted to reveal it. But something was stopping him. Harley…she was where the Joker was. There was no telling what would happen. "He's…he's…"

"Shut up, Hyde," Cutter gasped out in a pleading voice. "Keep quiet. Don't tell him anything…"

"Hyde…" Henshaw trailed off.

Hyde looked down at the ground, biting his lip. "I…"

"Don't waste your time with Mr. J!" A voice rang out from behind the Batman as a red blur charged at him. "Ya should worry about me instead!"

The Batman turned, only to be met with Harley's quick, agile form striking him when she dove straight for his stomach, ripping at him with the knife in her hand. The knife, as usual, didn't do much for the strong protective black suit that he wore and he gave her a fierce throw off to the side.

"Quinn," The Bat whispered softly. "I've been looking for you too. If anyone knows where the clown is, it's you."

"Darn straight," Harley replied icily. "But ya ain't gonna get that out of me, Batsy. Not even if ya wanted to." He licked her lips, looking very much like the Joker herself with her white war-painted face and her dangerous glowing eyes. "Stay away from the boys. This is between you an me."

"Harley," Hyde whispered, moving forward slightly.

She tipped her head back and grinned at him. "Better stay back, Charlie. Don't want ya to get hurt. Looks like you boys have seen enough action for one day." She licked her lips again and ran for the Batman, snarling and slicing at him with her knife regardless of how much damage it did. She would find a weak spot in good time. She just had to stay with it. And if Gordon and his men showed up, she'd fight the lot and the Batman at the same time.

The Batman moved like a jaguar—swift and skillfully. He was able to knock the blade out of her hands, but she simply pulled out another, fighting back with everything she had. Eventually, she began to attempt her acrobatic combat with him, kicking him and dishing out rapid punches left and right. She growled fiercely at the man, her blue eyes blazing like fiery diamonds.

"Get him, Harley!" Poke shouted out from where he was on the ground. "Give the bastard what for!" Cutter had crawled over to him and was now supporting him by holding him up.

Hyde just stood there, frozen and watching the violence with a pale face. He wished that it would just end. He couldn't bear to see her get knocked around like this. But at the same time, he didn't want for the Batman to fail. He wanted to go home and get out of this constant onslaught of chaos. Where the hell were Gordon and the GCPD? They must have really gone in the wrong direction.

Harley was tossed to the ground for the fifth time, but not before throwing a small gas-bomb on the ground, concealing her briefly as she managed to slink through the smoke and tackle the Batman from behind.

"Tag," she purred, stabbing at him in the back with her knife. "You're it."

The Batman grunted, having been wounded in a weak area, and whirled around to grab her and knock her away. She rolled on the ground, still not deterred from her goal of taking him down, and sent him falling on the ground with an expertise flying kick. He crouched there briefly, panting from behind that black cowl of his.

"You threw your life and your sanity away by helping him, Quinn," he growled. "You're going back to Arkham Asylum no matter how much you fight." He glanced over at Hyde before turning his glowing gaze back to her. "Some people honestly think you have a chance to start over."

"I'll never leave my Puddin'!" She snarled, flicking her knife and coming at him. "And you're not gonna take neither me nor him back. I'll kill ya before that happens!"

She ran forward, ready to strike, ready to stab until he finally dropped dead, when yet another voice ran out, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Now now, my pet. You went and ran off to try to handle big-bad-Batsy all on your own without me? That wasn't very nice." The Joker came out of the shadows of the alleyway adjacent to them, licking his lips and grinning.

"Mr. J!" Harley squeaked, smiling happily. "Ya came! I just wanted to show this self-righteous jerk a thing or two so's that I could protect the boys. Please don't be angry."

The clown came forward and patted her head, making her squeak. "I can't stay angry at my Harley for too long. After all, you went and sniffed out Batkins for me. Or rather, the boys did."

"Boss," Cutter said hoarsely, grinning despite his exhaustion. "We've been waiting for you."

"Oh, Cutter-boy, no need to look so happy to see me. I was going to get over here eventually. I just wanted things to get more…interesting." He looked over at the panting Batman and giggled. "Ooh, Batsy-boo, you look a tad worn out. Methinks Harley gave you a nice little exercise."

"You belong in a cell, Joker," The Batman replied harshly, standing straight up and preparing himself. "I'm going to take you back to Arkham and see to it that you're locked up for a long time."

"Will you now?" The clown replied lazily. "Well let's just see about that. Go tend to the boys, Harl. This is _my_ fight."

"But, Puddin'," she whispered, backing away when his dark-brown eyes glared at her fiercely. Hyde placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her in back of him as if to protect her. Then everyone was quiet, watching as the two men stood there face to face. The world seemed frozen in time, lost in some endless void. Hyde felt torn as he stared back and forth between the two men—the clown whom he called his boss or the Batman whom he saw as the key to getting out of this mess. He didn't know who would come out of this fight victorious.

Either way, he was about to find out.

XxX

_**A/N—**_

_**Okay, I apologize for the week-long delay. I got a new computer recently and I've been trying to figure things out with it. So things have been a bit slow, I'm afraid.**_

_**But never fear! I will try to get the final two chapters out quicker so please try to bear with me. **_

_**Thanks to everyone reading. We're almost done!**_

_**-CAT**_


	32. Face Off

For what seemed like decades, the two men stared each other down. To Hyde, it was almost like watching a gunslinger moment in a western film. The Batman looked determined, glaring at the clown with his glowing all-knowing eyes.

"I've missed you, Batsy-boo," the Joker crooned softly, flicking his knife in his hands. "You have no idea. We've barely gotten to talk much, you and I."

The Batman growled and said nothing, not reaching for one of his weapons, but not letting down his guard either.

"Honestly, I'm a little put off by the fact that you never call or write," the clown continued, grinning his hellish scarred grin and confidently shifting over to the side a little. He looked like a serpent trying to circle a mouse. "How else was I supposed to get your attention? You've been hiding out from everyone for so long; it's enough to make me a bit cranky. But that's all water under the bridge now. The point is that we're together again." He tilted his head and licked his lips. "I don't think we'll be interrupted by old Gordon any time soon. My boys gave those law-hounds the slip."

"It won't matter," The Batman growled. "You'll meet them anyway. And they'll throw you in the padded cell you belong in."

"Words, words, words! Not intimidating, Batsy. I'm a bit disappointed in you. After all the hard work I've invested and still not a smile from you. You haven't changed a bit."

Harley was trembling behind Hyde, her blue eyes glaring at the Batman as she bit her lip and hid her shaking hands. Hyde could sense her desire to go out there and fight alongside her lover. But he couldn't let her do that. He had to protect her. After the Batman took down the clown, he would see to it that Harley went peacefully without any more fighting. And then he'd visit her periodically, help her when she was in Arkham. He'd already formed the plan in his head.

The others crouched there frozen, Poke and Rocco wounded but eager to watch, Cutter glaring at the Batman and poising himself to strike if he sensed danger, Henshaw holding onto Rocco protectively and staring with wide eyes. Hyde could sense that they were all nervous. It radiated off of them in a giant aura.

"The boss will handle it," Cutter whispered softly, trying to comfort the others. "Don't worry. The Bat won't be standing very long."

_Neither will the Joker,_ Hyde thought darkly to himself.

Another moment of silent tension rolled by, both men still not attacking each other but starting to shift around each other like predators. Harley's breathing had grown louder and it was painfully evident that she was desperate to contribute in some form. But Hyde hushed her gently, trying to soothe her.

"The sad thing is that you didn't kill the same amount of people you'd hoped for," The Batman said coldly to the Joker. "Most of the citizens evacuated days ago. You only got a select handful."

The scarred man frowned and played with his knife. "I don't care. Things would have gone _too_ according to plan anyway. What matters is that I got you to come out and play."

"Kill him, Puddin'!" Harley screeched from behind Hyde. "Kill him quickly!"

"Hush, Harl. That wouldn't be very fun, would it? After all, I've been waiting for this moment for quite a while." Another lick of the lips.

The Batman glared and, before the clown had the chance to say something else, threw his boomerang-esque weapons straight for the scarred man, sending the clown stumbling back. Hyde had to give the clown credit for not falling over, not even when the blade of the weapon struck him on the arm.

The Joker simply giggled like a gleeful child. "Ooh! Nice! Improved the latest models for your toys, hm? I think this is going to be so much fun." He dodged swiftly when the caped man fired another set of weapons, this time getting wounded on the leg but still not falling to the ground. The expression on his face was one of sheer bliss, a sort of giddy excitement. "Strike two. What else you got, Batsy?" He adjusted his greasy green hair casually. "Don't keep me waiting."

The Batman growled and readied another weapon. But the clown moved suddenly like an agile cheetah and threw himself on top of the dark man, whipping out what looked like a long, jagged crowbar and starting to swing it as hard as he could.

"That's our boss!" Poke said with a wide, feverish grin. "He came prepared!"

Harley was whispering over and over under her breath. "Kill him…kill him…"

Hyde looked at her with worry, trying to keep her back and trying to calm her down. He placed both hands on her shoulders, hoping the gesture would placate the seething war-painted blonde. But it was to no avail. Harley seemed to be in her own little world, whispering to herself over and over and trembling.

The clown was like a mad dog, striking and swinging over and over, snarling and giggling all the way. The Batman was trying to get up, shielded slightly with his dark armor, but still getting struck hard enough to keep him down. His arm was trying to reach for his belt as the Joker continued his onslaught of whacking. But much like the Joker had been, the caped man was not flinching or crying out in pain when he was hit. He simply took it patiently as if he knew very well how the outcome would be.

Like Harley, Cutter appeared to be in some sort of trance as well, watching and holding his weapon to his side shakily. But unlike Harley, who was trying to move closer to the fighting every opportunity she got, he remained where he was. He was not going to disobey his boss's orders no matter how much he wanted to help. Hyde could feel the strain that clung to the older man as he watched. He couldn't help but feel a strong wave of sympathy for Cutter. What would even become of him anyway? Out of all the henchmen, Cutter had seemed to be the kindest, the most sane. He'd been the most easy-going of the group and it was painfully evident how much he cared about Harley. But in the end, whereas the twitchy, blood-hungry Poke might be sent to Arkham Asylum, Cutter and the cousins would probably be sent off to Blackgate. And what would happen to them, Hyde did not know. He could only feel sorry for this poor older fellow who had been caught like a fly in a chaotic spider's web.

_I'm sorry, Cutter…_

The Joker was bellowing out little taunts at the Batman as he continued to bring the crowbar down again and again. "This reminds me of old times, Batsy! Oh yes, a good while back. A night to remember, I think. Except you aren't really putting up much of a fight. What's wrong, hm? Come on, fight me! FIGHT ME!" He struck even harder, his expression changing from gleeful to enraged and dangerous. "FIGHT ME, GODDAMN IT!"

The Batman grunted, raising his free hand and firing one of his weapons at the roof. A grappling hook connected to the top of a small apartment and the Joker growled. "You aren't running from me, Bats. That isn't you. You're making me pretty fucking pissy. I told you before that I wasn't going to kill you. Not after all the laughs you and I have been through. But you're making it _very hard_."

"Bash his skull in, Mr. J!" Harley screamed. "End it! Death to Batman!"

"Kill him, boss!" Rocco and Henshaw yelled at the same time, their voices as loud as Harley's. "Don't let him get away!"

Hyde swallowed. He'd forgotten about keeping Harley steady in the heat of the moment. Now she was simply behind him, crying out for Batman's blood and reaching occasionally inside her crimson-red coat. Hyde was transfixed at what was going on. Surely the Batman wasn't trying to escape? Batman was no coward. He was many things but a coward was not one of them.

_But if he manages to escape…then the Joker won't get caught!_

The Joker, disappointed and pouting, finally backed away a bit from the man lying on the ground. His war-painted face was contorted with some sort of strange conflicting emotion, half furious, half mournful. He'd been waiting for the Batman to show up and here he was just lying there like a weak, battered kitten. How pathetic. Whipping out his favorite knife, the scarred man started to move back towards the caped vigilante, licking his lips. "You have no idea how much you depress me, Batsy. All this slight scheming I had to do to get to see you…and you know how much I hate scheming. But here you are acting like you've never taken a few crowbar-wounds before. How…boring. Oh well. We can't always have everything go according to plan. It never really works."

"That's what you think," the man on the ground snarled, flashing the Joker what looked like a triumphant smirk before launching one of his weapons at the clown—another hook. It fired itself straight through the Joker's knee, actually getting a grunt of pain out of him. Hyde and the others let out a gasp of shock and the clown stumbled back.

"…Ngh…not too shabby, Batsy. So you gave me a little old-fashioned horror-movie treatment. No wonder you were being so pathetic. Just biding your time, hm?" He laughed and licked his scars. "And that's what I love about you. We're really destined to do this forever, you know. You and I should seal the whole thing in blood. Maybe later, I'll have to see to that."

"There won't be a 'later'," The Batman hissed, giving another smirk and firing another one of his grappling hook weapons. "Not for you."

The clown's face fell and he stared down at his wounded leg, letting out a brief inhale of realization when he whipped his head back and turned to look at the small apartment that the Batman had fired the grappling hook at. The rope was long and gave the clown just barely seconds to react before it pulled him roughly by the leg. The clown went flying through the air, crying out when the rope swung him all the way up the scale of the apartment. His back hit the wall roughly and blood flowed from his injured leg as he hung there suspended upside down. And all the while, he was roaring with laughter, not caring about the pain.

"Boss!" Cutter screamed, glaring at the Batman before turning his gaze back to the hanging scarred man. His hands were on his weapon but he was too paralyzed with shock to move. Poke and the cousins were frozen as well, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the sight of their leader swinging there, bleeding and defenseless.

The Batman glared up at the scarred clown, looking resolved and satisfied. He turned around and his glowing eyes met Hyde's. Hyde knew that it was a look that suggested victory. After all, the others wouldn't be that much of a problem now that their leader had been strung up like a mouse caught in a trap. It was over.

"Oh, you are clever, Batsy," the clown giggled from where he hung. "I bet that's what you were planning to do all along! You never cease to amaze me, you brilliant little flying rodent…"

"Boss…" Was all Cutter could murmur out. Again, a wave of pity swept through Hyde.

"It's over, Joker," the Batman said. "Your men won't take too long to defeat. All I have to do is flash up a signal and Gordon will know exactly where you are. You're done. Arkham Asylum is where you'll go and where you'll stay."

"What a shame," the clown crooned, not sounding the least bit worried. "I'm not really in the mood for going back to the old doctor-hole." His hellish grin widened and he gave the caped vigilante a sinister look. "And you know what happened the last time I was there, hm? You can ask my Harley aaaaall about it."

"There won't be any more cases like Quinn. I'll make sure of it. You won't have the chance to do what you did ever again."

The clown sniffed boredly and licked his lips. "Oh, why would I even want to? I think I've picked up a girl who's already useful enough. My little pet is quite full of surprises. After all, she had the nerve to leave me all by my lonesome just so she could save the boys from you."

"She's going to Arkham as well. But you won't be seeing her. If anything, she has more chance at actually redeeming herself than you ever will."

The Joker giggled softly, his eyes shining like some all-knowing demon. "Oh? Is that so, Batsy? You'd be surprised at just how much fire little Harley has in her. In fact, I think the kid just might be darker than you claim her to be."

"Joker—"

BANG!

Everyone's eyes widened as the Batman fell to the ground, wounded in the leg. Hyde felt his throat go dry and chills curl up his spine. The others were staring dumbfounded, lost for words.

Harley Quinn stepped forward, clutching a small, smoking gun in her hands. Her breathing was ragged and her eyes were feral and full of unearthly rage. It was as if she were possessed by some kind of malevolent, savage spirit. The childish, naïve sweetness had drained itself completely from her face, replaced by an expression of pure hate and ferocity. Growling, she shot the Batman again, grinning when she actually got a cry out of him.

"An eye for an eye," she hissed blackly down at the wounded man, licking her lips as her white war-paint ran down her face. "You bastard."

In the background, the clown was laughing softly.

XxX

_**A/N—Hoo boy! The tension! Again, sorry for the wait. This chapter was a challenge to write and school did not make it easier, heh heh!**_

_**Anyway, final chapter coming soon! How will it all end? You'll just have to find out!**_

_**-CAT**_


	33. Hyde's Choice

_**Disclaimer**__**- The lyrics used do not belong to me. I do not own them.**_

XxX

The Batman grunted, bleeding and half-shocked from the attack. Everyone else seemed to be paralyzed with some sort of grim fascination.

Everyone that is, except for Harley and the clown. Harley was still standing there, clutching the smoking gun and gritting her teeth angrily. The Joker just swung limply in the air, laughing as if this was the funniest thing he'd ever seen in his life.

Hyde was beside himself with bewilderment. He'd never thought that the Batman would get wounded like this. What was going to happen now?

The Batman was fumbling with his weapons, throwing one at Harley and grazing the edge of her cheek. Harley didn't even flinch and just towered over him, staring down at him coldly like some sort of feral animal.

"Atta girl, Harl!" Poke and the cousins were saying once they had recovered from their shocked stupor. "Kill him! Blow his fucking head out!"

Hyde felt himself back away, bumping into Cutter. The older man regarded the situation with silence, almost as if reflecting.

"Quinn…" the dark vigilante muttered, shifting his position so as to get a better shot at her, oblivious to the small bullet wounds in his armor. Harley had shot him with enough force to wound both his leg and his lower hip. If he wasn't in pain, he'd probably be somewhat impressed.

Hyde felt sick to his stomach. He really hoped he didn't give away. That was the last thing he needed. Looking over at Harley, he felt his heart curl with a combination of both pity and fear.

_Harley…are you even still here? Is this really you? Or is it the shadow of you? Which is it?_

He was standing here, watching the girl he was in love with wound his only protector, his only chance to escape and return to a life of normalcy and decency.

The Joker licked his lips, still suspended upside-down, but not looking the least miffed about it. Then, sighing as if he had been just willingly hanging there, he whipped out one of his knives and cut himself loose, falling down to the ground but not injured in the least. Then he gleefully pranced over by Harley's side, eyeing the Batman and making amused clucking noises. The others, wounded and tired, hobbled over in back of him. All except for Hyde who was still frozen on the spot, his eyes wide and darting from the Joker to the Batman to Harley.

"Harley," Rocco whispered. "Enough waiting. Kill him already."

"Yeah, kill him, Harley!"

"Kill him! Do it!"

Harley glared at the wounded man and then bit her lip, her old colors finally starting to reappear again as she gave the Joker a questioning look. The dark markings under her eyes were starting to run down her face. And while it made her look a good deal more Joker-ish, it was a rather gloomy sight at the same time.

Hyde felt himself shuddering a little on the inside. _There you are, Harley…there you are…_

The scarred man chuckled, petting Harley's head as if she were a trained dog. "Nice shooting, my pet. But what-oh-what to do now?"

"Do you…do you want me to kill him, Mr. J?" Harley's voice quivered slightly. She remembered the last time she'd nearly killed the Batman. It had resulted in her being pushed out a building to nearly plummet to her demise. Her baby-blue eyes glanced at her lover timidly, giving her the look that she was worried that he would strike her at any moment.

The clown giggled, knowing very well what she was thinking about. "Now, Harley, we can't have that, now can we? I think this operation was something of a bust. Even if we managed to get a little bit of Batsy out of this. I think you've done quite enough." He gently took the gun away from her, ignoring the cries of protest in the background.

Hyde swallowed, feeling his throat as dry as cotton. So then what was going to happen now?

"Boss, are you just going to let him lay there?" Cutter sounded just as eager to know as Hyde was. "You're just going to let him lay there and either manage one of his miracle-escapes or get caught by the GCPD?" The others murmured their concern as well.

"We can kill him right now, Puddin'," Harley said, her eyes sparkling, leering back over at the man she hated before turning back to the clown. "We can be done with it…"

The Joker growled, shaking his head. "Are all of you a bunch of morons? No, no…we're not going to kill off Batsy. At least, none of you are." His eyes lit up. "Actually, I think I just got the perfect solution."

The Batman grunted, trying to pull himself up. "What are…you planning?"

The Joker frowned. "I don't _plan_. How many times do I have to tell you? I guess nothing gets through that thick bat-shaped cowl of yours. No, Batsy, _I'm_ not going to do anything to you. Right now, that would be something expected of me." His grin widened. "…But as for _Hyde_…"

Hyde blinked in the background, his jaw dropping and chills rippling down his spin in fear. "M-me, sir? Y-y-you want _me_ to kill h-him?" _Ohgodohgodohgod! I don't want to kill him! If I do, I'll never escape! I've already killed Bromley—I don't ever want to kill another living being again!_

The Joker giggled, amused at both Hyde's and the others' reaction. "Now, Hyde, you make it sound like you don't really want to."

"Boss," Cutter said gently. "Don't make him do that. It's too much trouble. Plus, Hyde is a lousy shot."

"Yeah," Harley agreed. "Please, Puddin', let me be the one to kill Batsy. Pretty please? Hyde's no good for this sort of thing. Look at the poor guy; he's shaking in his boots!" Her voice was full of genuine concern. Hyde would be touched if he wasn't in a state of utter panic.

The clown chortled, licking his lips and kicking the Batman lightly with his foot. "Our little Hyde's been awfully courageous these many weeks. He offed Bromley with no problem. If he can do that, he can certainly kill off Batsy-boo."

"Boss—"

"Are you kidding me? I'd rather do it…"

"Puddin', let me—"

"Hush," The Joker growled, his eyes glowing. "Stop whining. Well, Hyde-boy? What are you going to do?"

"Do I…have a choice?"

"Dunno. Do you?" The scarred man licked his lips, eyeing Hyde closely. "I'm actually being generous for once. After all, I don't really want anything bad happening to my little toy here. He's supposed to do this with me forever. But then again, that's considered planning I suppose. And I do like a good bit of fun. So you have the choice here and now to kill him."

"…"

"Now the real question is will I kill you if you don't kill him, or will I not even bother laying a finger on you? Oh yes, I can see that on your face. Who knows? You'll just have to find out. You should be honored, I suppose. It isn't every day that I allow someone the opportunity to end the Batman's life with my own permission. Hey, Batsy, wouldn't old Harvey Dent just _love_ the idea? It's all up to chance. You have the chance to kill him, Hyde. And you have the chance of me blowing your brains out instead of his. And there's also the chance that you both might very well live through this. I dunno. It all really depends on my mood. I'm a…spontaneous sort of guy."

Harley opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again and looked at Hyde sadly. Hyde felt that he was the one receiving pity. The mournful warmth in her gaze was almost as bewildering as the whole situation.

At that gaze and in the midst of this horrible, urgent situation, he could feel a void opening within him followed by a realization that he didn't want to face. He honestly didn't want to leave Harley to the Joker. He didn't want for her to become an even bigger monster than the clown. He didn't want that because he loved her, because he couldn't bear the thought of it.

"Hyde…" The Batman groaned, his glowing eyes meeting Hyde's distant ones. Hyde knew everything that look meant. It was as clear as the sunrise through the morning fog.

_Don't slip over the edge. No matter what, don't cross the line the Joker has crossed._

Hyde swallowed, feeling the gun being shoved into his arms by the clown. Everyone's eyes were now on him. He wanted to die and wither away from existence, anything that could prevent him from doing something this crucial. If he killed the Batman, not only would he lose his chance for freedom, he'd lose a part of himself. He'd never come out of the abyss. He'd be trapped there forever, stuck in a world of madness. And the Joker knew that. Hyde could read it on his war-painted face.

_And what about Harley? If I kill the Batman, I'd get to be around her more. She needs me. I can't…I can't just leave her to the Joker…_

If he were to kill the Batman, he also had the chance of getting killed by the Joker in the same way he had the chance of living and dying if he didn't. But if he were to kill the Batman and live, his name would become legendary. And he no longer would be the weak, soft-hearted Hyde from before. And if that was the case, would he ever be the same to Harley?

The Batman just continued to stare at him from the ground, his glowing eyes all-knowing under that dark cowl. Hyde felt his heart tremble as his thoughts centered again.

…_What am I doing? This whole thing…I can't…I won't…_

No, he couldn't kill the Batman. No matter what, he was not going to willingly murder a person. The Batman was his key out. But either way, Hyde knew that he was not going to go free today. It was a mystery when that day would come. Or if it would _ever_ come. But what he knew was that he couldn't kill Batman and he couldn't leave Harley. He had to make a decision, had to take whatever risk might come. He had lasted this long, he was not about to lose his wits.

Wordlessly, before the Joker could utter another wretched sentence, Hyde shot the Batman directly on the top of the shoulder, piercing through the dark armor, but not hitting a vital point. The Batman grunted, but lay back on the ground, breathing heavily but still very much alive. Hyde turned and stared at the Joker, his eyes radiating with a sort of resolved defiance. Even Harley and the others had to shrink back a little.

"I took a shot, sir," Hyde said, standing up straight as if he expected for the clown to kill him right then and there.

The Joker licked his lips, cocking his head and looking at Hyde and then back down to the injured, but still alive Batman. "Hm…so that's a 'no' I take it…"

"Charlie…" Harley whispered softly.

The sirens of the GCPD began to flare up in the distance, making the others flinch. But Hyde stood his ground, ready for whatever happened. If the Joker killed him, fine. And if he didn't, Hyde knew what he would do. There was to be no freedom today or tomorrow or the next few days. And maybe even never. But there was still the chance to remain with Harley, watch over her and continue to play the part of the reluctant Joker-follower. That would be his future if he lived.

The moment was tense, everyone standing there in silence, waiting for the outcome. Harley looked the nervous of all of them, her lower lip trembling and her eyes wide and anxious. Hyde gave her a small smile.

_Harley…I really do love you. You'll never know that, but I do. If he kills me…what will become of you? I thought today would be the day I'd see you brought to justice, see you brought to a place where you could get the help you need. But it won't be. And it might never be. Harley…oh, my poor, poor Harley…_

More silence. Hyde felt his fists trembling slightly in anticipation. Everyone was utterly silent, even usually loud fellows like Poke. Perhaps they were all too weary and exhausted and injured to bother. Or maybe they just didn't care. Hyde wouldn't really mind at this point. Harley looked like she cared and that was enough for him.

Finally, at long last, the Joker sighed, shrugging and walking ahead of them. "Fiiiiine, oh well. Whoopsy-doodles. Either you really do have a horrible shot, or you just flat-out refused. Or maybe you're being courteous enough to save him for me for another time." He tilted his head back and grinned at the Batman. "Well, Batsy, looks like you get to live to fight another day. Albeit, probably a very battered, frustrating day removing all those bullets assuming Gordon and his little cronies don't find you here. Come along, boys. We're leaving now. I've had my fun."

Hyde blinked at the clown, his eyes wide and the tenseness in his body loosening. "…Sir…?"

The Joker grinned and licked his lips. "You still have a lot to learn it looks like, Hyde-boy. But I'm not in the mood to kill you. I've had my fill of this. Tomorrow's another day after all."

Cutter, Poke, and the cousins started to limp behind the clown, each looking a bit disappointed but not willing to say anything. Hyde felt Harley tug gently at his arm, feeling her cheek brush against his briefly, voicing her relief that he was okay.

"Come on, Charlie. We're going home…"

"Harley, I…"

Before he could say anything to her, Harley scampered ahead and Hyde felt the clown's stare in the background beckoning for him to follow. The sound of sirens in the air grew louder and Hyde felt himself torn.

On the ground, the Batman lifted his head weakly, trying to get to his feet, grunting and staring up at Hyde. "Charles…you can't let yourself slip…you can't go back…"

Hyde swallowed, backing away from the injured man, hoping that they would both have the chance to escape before the GCPD arrived.

"Hyde…don't go with them…you can't…"

"I have to," he said softly, knowing that the others couldn't hear him. "I have to for now. I'm not going to die. I'm going to live through this. And when it's over, I'll go back. I won't change into what they try to make me. Not now, not ever."

"Hyde…"

"I won't change," He repeated, finally turning and running ahead, leaving the wounded man behind. When he looked back, the man was gone, leaving only a small puddle of blood behind him.

"Come on!" Cutter called out as they all ran into the murky haze of the streets, heading back for their vehicle. "Let's run! They're coming! Hurry!"

Hyde sensed Harley running beside him, panting and keeping her eyes focused on what was in front of her.

_I'll stay with you, Harley. And I swear that one day I'll make sure you better. One day, I'll be free again. And I won't change. The Joker can't make me. Until the day I'm free, I'll wait. I'll keep waiting for as long as it takes. I swear._

And the air was filled with the sound of running footsteps and the sound of missed gunfire, echoing long into the night.

XxX

_And the shadow of the day_

_Will embrace the world in grey_

_And the sun will set for you_

-Lyrics by Linkin Park

XxX

_**A/N- So concludes the fourth arc of the Until We Bleed series!**_

_**Whew! It's been quite a trip, hasn't it? Well, folks, it isn't over just yet. We've got the fifth and final story coming your way. Thanks, as usual, to all my wonderful reviewers. You guys are the best and I love hearing from you all.**_

_**COMING SOON: GRAVITY—the last arc of the Until We Bleed series. Stay tuned!**_

_**-CAT**_


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